


Ásgarðrian Galdr

by Valerie_Vancollie



Series: Song of the Yggdrasill [1]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Norse Religion & Lore, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Reality, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst, Angst and Drama, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Asgard, Asgard (Marvel), Awesome Frigga (Marvel), BAMF Loki (Marvel), Betrayal, Bigotry & Prejudice, Body Dysphoria, Brother Feels, Brotherhood, Brotherly Affection, Brotherly Angst, Brotherly Bonding, Brotherly Love, Brothers, Canon Divergence - Thor (2011), Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Child Abandonment, Courtroom Drama, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Discrimination, Drama, Epic, Family Drama, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Good Loki (Marvel), Heavy Angst, Hurt Loki (Marvel), Implied/Referenced Suicide, Implied/Referenced Torture, Imprisonment, Internalized racism, Intersex Jotunn (Marvel), Intersex Loki (Marvel), Jotunn Biology (Marvel), Jotunn Loki (Marvel), Jotunn | Frost Giant, Jötnar | Jotuns | Frost Giants (Norse Religion & Lore), Jötunheimr | Jotunheim, Loki (Marvel) Does What He Wants, Loki (Marvel) Feels, Loki (Marvel) Has Issues, Magic, Magic-Users, Marvel Jotunn Culture, Minor Frigga/Odin (Marvel), Mother-Son Relationship, Odin's A+ Parenting (Marvel), Odin's Bad Parenting (Marvel), Odin's Parenting (Marvel), Odinsleep (Marvel), Original Character(s), POV Loki (Marvel), Parent Frigga (Marvel), Parent-Child Relationship, Powerful Loki, Protective Frigga (Marvel), Psychological Drama, Punishment, Racism, Speciesism, Suspense, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Trickster Loki (Marvel), Tricksters, Wordcount: Over 100.000, Yggdrasil - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:55:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 36,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29072913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valerie_Vancollie/pseuds/Valerie_Vancollie
Summary: What if Loki was able to warn his past self, so he did not lose control during his regency and was able to act as he normally would? What if he had been able to remain calm and in control of himself, and the situation?"How?" Loki demanded."Betrayal," his future self stated simply, rage clear in every syllable. "But you must control your reaction and come to see me, or you will repeat my mistakes and we will miss an opportunity to take control and alter things in our favor."It would have changed everything.This fic isfinishedand chapters will be posted regularly.
Relationships: Asgardians & Loki (Marvel), Frigga | Freyja & Loki & Odin & Thor (Marvel), Frigga | Freyja & Loki (Marvel), Frigga | Freyja & Thor (Marvel), Heimdall & Loki (Marvel), Jane Foster/Thor, Loki & Odin, Loki & Odin (Marvel), Loki & Sif (Marvel), Loki & Thor (Marvel), Loki & Warriors Three (Marvel), Loki/Sigyn (Marvel), Sif & Thor (Marvel), Thor & Warriors Three (Marvel)
Series: Song of the Yggdrasill [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2133003
Comments: 226
Kudos: 463





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First off, I'd like to reiterate that this is a _fully finished_ fic! I started it for NaNoWriMo in 2017 and I've been working on it, on and off, ever since until I finished it in December 2020. Since then I've been editing it, but that's now finally done!
> 
> Altogether this fic clocks in at just under half a million words at 480,121 words!
> 
> I still very much view this as my 1st MCU fic as it was started before either _Ensoulment_ or _Mirror in the Sky_. This is also the fic from which snippets have ended up on Twitter at various points.
> 
>  **Note:** This fic starts during the events of _Thor_ and goes AU from there, but some events from _Avengers Assemble_ & _Thor: The Dark World_ are also referenced due to the time travel. As this fic was started before various movies came out ( _Thor: Ragnarok_ , _Avengers Infinity War_ , _Avengers Endgame_...), it will ignore them and what we learned then. So my Niðavellir & dwarves are a bit different from what the MCU eventually showed us.
> 
>  **Chapters:** Each chapter is ~5,000 words, ranging from 3,878-6,787, with an average of 5,136 words. So that is about what you can expect in each of the 93 chapters.
> 
>  **Updating Schedule:** My aim is to stay as close to weekly as I can manage. I don't want to promise it as you never know what will occur (though holidays look unlikely anytime soon!), but my goal is a new chapter every week. It won't necessarily be on Saturdays, though, I'm just starting on the 30th of January as it's my birthday :)
> 
>  **Spoilers:** _Thor_ , _Avengers Assemble_ , _Thor: The Dark World_ & _Captain Marvel_
> 
>  **Language:** I like to use the more proper Old Norse spelling for anything related to Norse Mythology. Hence I will have Ásgarðr instead of Asgard and Óðinn instead of Odin. The only times I won't do so, is if I think the original spelling will interfere with recognition. So I will use Thor instead of Þórr. I will also use a smattering of actual Old Norse words for local color - all of them will be explained in the footnotes.
> 
>  **Nine Realms:** As it's not entirely clear in the MCU or Norse Mythology, I thought I'd make it explicit here which Realms I view as being within 'the Nine'. So for the purposes of this series those are: Ásgarðr, Miðgarðr (Earth), Álfheimr, Niðavellir, Svartálfaheimr, Jötunheimr, Vanaheimr, Niflheimr & Múspellsheimr. I leave Hel(heimr) as an afterlife, while Nornheimr is outside the Nine in this series.
> 
>  **Series:** _Song of the Yggdrasill_ \- I have already started work on the first of several planned sequels.
> 
>  **Beta:** Tallymark

"Thank you, that is all," Loki said, dismissing the servants who had helped him dress.

He did not really need them as he could do it easily enough with his seiðr, but his mother insisted he do things properly on official ceremony days. She felt it set the right tone for the day and he did not feel strongly enough about it to argue with her. Still, Loki felt relieved when the last servant pulled the door closed behind him.

As usual with official ceremonies, there was an air of excitement about which clashed horribly with Loki's own dark mood and nerves. Thor was not yet ready to be king, not _nearly_ ready yet. How could it be he was the only one who could see it? Were the others truly so blind? The oaf would mess things up beyond repair within a week if allowed to ascend to Hliðskjálf now, Loki knew it.

Especially with Father about to go into the Óðinnsleep.

Nay, Loki had to prove to them all that Thor needed more time before 'twas too late and his idiot brother caused irreparable damage to the Nine. He could only hope his plan worked the way he intended it to. Normally his plans did, but Thor did possess a special ability to wreck them.

Loki closed his eyes and forced himself to take a few deep breaths. There was nothing more he could do now. Everything was set and would either work or not. He simply wished it did not all hinge on the actions of a few frost giants now. The stupid beasts were more likely to mess things up than not, but he had no choice but to include them. Besides, he knew he could trust their rage and greed if nothing else. Not that he would ever make the mistake of truly trusting a frost giant.

Finally feeling calmer and more in control of himself, Loki opened his eyes to take a look at his appearance in the mirror, only to shout and jump back in shock at the sight which greeted him.

'Twas himself, but not as he was now. Instead of his ceremonial garb, he wore his usual armor and leather, but 'twas torn and filthy; coated in blood, dust and ash. His skin was also blotchy, pallid and drawn, while his hair was nearly shoulder length, stringy and unkempt, as if he had been repeatedly running his fingers through it in agitation.

Then his reflection smiled at him and spoke. "Hello, Loki."

Loki's eyes narrowed as he looked at his mirror, feeling his own shoulders draw back, straightening his spine, even as the fingers of his right hand twitched with the desire to draw forth one of his throwing knives. But he suppressed the impulse for now. A quick check with his seiðr gave the most startling of responses. The other actually felt like him. A little different to be sure, darker and more powerful in ways he could not immediately decipher, but definitely him at the core nonetheless.

'Twas... surprising to say the least. Loki had expected for it to be someone else; someone foolish enough to think they could trick him with an illusion. But this was unexpected, not the least for what it implied.

"You are reaching across time as well as space," Loki declared, meeting his future self's gaze head on.

"Hmm," his reflection confirmed, eyes sweeping over him. "The coronation?"

"It goes through then?" Loki demanded, feeling dismay and failure sweep through him.

"Nay, the jötnar do their job."

Relief and exhilaration followed swiftly and Loki savored them for a moment, before he swept his seiðr outwards to check for Heimdallr's attention. If the gatekeeper were watching now...

Instead of what he feared, Loki encountered a shield of his own seiðr surrounding the both of them. It felt odd to touch it. His seiðr recognized it as self, but at the same time he was completely unaware of it, until he touched it. The feeling disconcerted Loki more than he would ever admit to anyone, his future self included.

"How are you doing this?" Loki demanded with a frown.

Normally he hated admitting such weakness and ignorance, as it revealed far too much of his own vulnerabilities. But if anyone already knew of his ignorance in this matter, it would be his future self as he would be aware of what Loki knew and did not know at present. Besides, he realized with a start, if he could not trust himself, then who could he trust?

That... was even more disconcerting than encountering his own seiðr as he had. Loki was so used to relying on himself that doing so with a self who was not immediately _him_ jarred. Yet 'twas him, he had felt it himself and knew it could not be faked, not with one as trained in the ljósálfarian arts as he had been. Besides, there had always been something distinctly unique about his magical core which even his tutors had felt, though none could explain it or work out precisely why. Not that he had given them much of a chance to, as he was not allowing anyone close enough to truly try.

Loki was not so stupid.

"Seiðr," his future self replied, almost dismissively, ere a predatory smile swept across his face at Loki's narrow eyed response to that. "You will have the means to learn it soon."

"Why not now?" Loki demanded sharply.

"The necessary tome is still out of your grasp, as is a critical piece of knowledge."

"Tell me."

"Nay, that would be altering things too far, and too unpredictably, for naught."

There it was, the reason for this little visit. 'Twas as Loki had suspected from the moment he had realized his scrying visitor was from the future. Though he may not know precisely how his future self was doing this, he knew enough to know it would require an immense amount of power and skill. It would not be something to do lightly, especially not in the deplorable condition his future self was in. Nay, this would be, if not a desperate last resort, then at least perilously close to it.

And why would he bother trying to interact with his past self if not to attempt to change the past?

The thought quickened both Loki's breath and heart. The sheer _chaos_ which interfering with time and events could cause was both boundless and catastrophic. There was a reason why something like this was considered the darkest of all magical arts, and absolutely forbidden in all of the Nine and well beyond besides. Both of them could be summarily executed for even considering it, let alone the steps his future self had already taken to bridge the temporal distance to him.

Every part of Loki loved the situation already, the power and danger of it exhilarating him. The knowledge that something must have gone horribly wrong to put his future self in this situation was but a slight damper on his mood, as he knew himself far too well to think his future self would leave any possibility of it transpiring again up to chance.

"What do I need to do?" Loki finally asked, unused to doing so and meaning it.

He had not taken orders from anyone as blindly as he was willing to do now in a very long time. Not that either his brother or father had realized it yet. His mother however... well, she had ever seen more of him than anyone else ever had. Loki suspected she knew, not that she had given any indication of it one way or the other. Those who wondered at where he had obtained his crafty and cunning nature from clearly did not know the queen of Ásgarðr terribly well.

"For right now, nothing," his future self replied, voice cracking slightly.

Loki frowned, already reaching out with his seiðr for the other. Surprisingly, his probe was not rebuffed and Loki realized his earlier thoughts of their situation and fractured self and trust were reciprocated.

What he found was more than enough to derail any other thoughts Loki had. Fractured was indeed a good word to use to describe what he had become between now and whatever future his reflection was from. Though incredibly powerful, his future self's seiðr was damaged; splintered and fragmented in ways he did not even want to _imagine_ what it took to achieve. Then there was also the strain maintaining their connection was putting on his damaged self.

The vague chaos which Loki could also sense from his twin's mind made him shudder and offer some of his own seiðr to help stabilize the connection between them. There was no way he would allow what had transpired to his future self to repeat itself. Not again.

"Then when?" Loki demanded, knowing there had to be a reason why he had been contacted now of all times.

He would not waste seiðr and risk death so carelessly, so neither would a far more damaged and vulnerable, if more powerful, version of himself do so either. Loki could trust himself not to be so foolish and stupid.

" _Immediately_ after you leave O- Father's chambers after he has succumbed to the Óðinnsleep which calls to him even now."

Loki's eyes narrowed suspiciously at his future self's slip. Was his father responsible for the injuries he could see, or the psychic and magical scars he could sense in his reflection? Despite all of his ill will towards all but his mother at times, even he would never have gone so far as to think them capable of so heinous a crime against him as _that_. Had he underestimated them so badly? Was that what had happened to his future self?

"Stop."

Both the command and the urgency in his own voice snapped Loki's eyes back to the mirror. The reflection there was starting to flicker and waver alarmingly, even with his own seiðr helping his twin to maintain the connection.

"'Tis not what you think and you _need_ to act normally until the time I have said, or all could be lost."

Loki bit back his first response to the words at the look in those eyes. He had seen a version of it before, in this very mirror, after the disastrous 'adventure' of Thor's to Nornheimr. Yet even that was nothing compared to the _depth_ he saw it now, and his entire being shuddered and recoiled from the mere sight of it. He had no desire whatsoever to experience that which had put it there.

By the Norns, Loki did not even want to _know_ what had caused it, though he strongly suspected he would need to before this was all through. Despite what others said or liked to insinuate, he was not a coward and thus would not shy away from this when the time came for him to learn it. That did not do anything to dampen his relief at knowing the time was not now.

"Fine," Loki said.

He would not pry into what it was which had caused them to stop viewing Óðinn as their father, but Loki knew better than to think he would be able to stop steeling himself against the blow, even if it were never to come now. The _knowledge_ that it could was damage enough, and one of the myriad of reasons why tampering with the very strands of time was absolutely forbidden.

Unexpectedly, Loki could not help but wonder if he would be getting a personal visit from one of the Norns for this. Almost no one ever had before, so 'twas an arrogant thought, but none had ever attempted what he was before either.

"Good," his future self nodded once, decisively, eyes never leaving Loki's own. "Come back here-"

"- immediately after leaving Father's Óðinnsleep chamber, aye," Loki finished with a frown.

Why was his future self patronizing him of all people? He knew more than any other how much they hated that.

"You will be distraught, furious," his twin stated blithely. "Emotional and irrational."

The words were like daggers to the heart, and Loki flinched back. Him, irrational and overwrought with emotion? Nay, 'twas Thor's territory, he thought things through, calculated and schemed before taking careful and deliberate action specifically tailored to further his own goals and achieve his desires.

" _Loki._ "

The way his future self said their name made it crystal clear he knew exactly what was running through Loki's head right now, and he reigned in both his disbelief and denial. Clearly it had to be as his reflection said.

"How?" Loki demanded.

"Betrayal," his future self stated simply, rage clear in every syllable. "But you must control your reaction and come to see me or you will repeat my mistakes and we will miss an opportunity to take control and alter things in our favor."

 _That_ desire Loki understood only all too well and he forced himself to focus on it instead of allowing his mind to drift to all of the implications of what else his temporal twin had told him. It might grate to be so uncertain of what the overall plan was, but he would be damned if he would wreck one of his own plans out of sheer stubbornness and petulance. Thor and his stupid companions had done that oft enough in the past and he simply _refused_ to follow in their footsteps.

Loki could trust himself, if no one else. Besides, if this worked as his future self intended for it to, then that version of Loki would cease to exist, thus entirely killing him and there was no version of himself which would allow something like _that_ to happen if 'twas not for his own good.

"Fine, I will come here regardless of what I may wish to do or say," Loki promised.

"Good. Then I can tell you all."

With that, his future self allowed their connection to weaken and fade, and Loki was left looking at his own reflection in the mirror.

The inadvertent backlash this caused with his own seiðr made Loki take an involuntary step backwards, even as he centered himself. A wave of weariness and fatigue washed through him and he reached out to one of his amulets almost instinctively. He had created a number of amulets charged with his power as backup for precisely this type of situation. They were scattered across both his chambers and Iðavöllr, carefully hidden from prying eyes and the senses of people like his father, Heimdallr and even, he thought, his mother. Though even if she was aware of them, she would never disturb them as they were a safety net for him.

His power recharged, Loki felt Heimdallr's gaze shift his way and he forced himself to act casual as he moved to the mirror once more, before sweeping from his chambers. He had instructed himself to act normally for now and so he would. And normal was to go wait for his brother in the hall beside Valaskjálf, where Thor would come to await his grand entrance. The knowledge that, at the very least, he would succeed in derailing the coronation lightened Loki's steps, even as he forced all other thoughts of what he had learned from his mind.

Loki had been forewarned now and, with his own help, they would ensure his future was altered for the better.

* * *

The number of conflicting emotions rushing through Loki, and their sheer intensity, was enough to make him stumble back numbly as the guards rushed in to see to his father. Vaguely he realized they must have overheard a certain amount of their conversation to have heard his cries for help, but he simply could not bring himself to care.

The truth... the lies... his father's collapse before his own eyes...

'Twas all too much and with Thor gone as well... Loki still could not believe Óðinn had banished his brother. It had never been part of his plan for that to happen, but then neither had their trip to Jötunheimr and all it had revealed been planned either. For one blind, stupid moment he wished it had never happened, that he had never learned the truth of what he was.

 _A monster_.

Why had his future self not done all he could to prevent _that_ from transpiring? Why had Loki not protected himself from it? Surely a monster could lie to protect itself? It would have been so easy to do. He could have come up with a reason which would have fooled his naïve self.

He could have lied to himself exactly like Óðinn and Frigga had lied to him.

_Nay!_

He had clearly been lied to enough, the last thing Loki needed was to be unable to trust himself. Especially not when it came to such vitally important information which could explain _so much_ which he had previously been unable to find answers for.

All those years, and all of the frustration and disgust, Loki had felt at not being able to measure up. All in vain. How could he have succeeded when he was trying to be something he _physically_ was not? They had set him up for failure, right from the very start, both Óðinn and Frigga.

Rage and despair washed over him once more, all but paralyzing Loki. The screaming he had done earlier had been cathartic in a way, but now the primary target of his anger had collapsed it seemed pointless to continue doing so. And was that not typical of Óðinn, to find a way to so completely avoid dealing with the issue at hand? He really should have expected it.

"Sire?"

The voice and sudden proximity of another startled Loki from his thoughts and he looked over to find Lieutenant-General Yngvarr, the head of the king's guard and second-in-command of the army, standing near him.

"Shall we?" the lieutenant-general inquired, indicating.

Loki looked over to see his father had been transferred to a litter the healers had brought, and they looked ready to move him.

"Hmm," Loki confirmed, glad his voice came out far stronger and steadier than he felt.

'Twas as he stepped up alongside the litter that the title Lieutenant-General Yngvarr had used finally registered with Loki.

 _Sire_.

While not technically incorrect or inappropriate, 'twas not the _highness_ or _prince_ Loki was used to. Not that he had interacted with his father's personal guard much as of late, other than being able to correctly identify them on sight for security purposes. A quick glance around failed to allow him to immediately spot Lieutenant-General Yngvarr among the others whom had appeared to surround the litter and those walking with it.

"Óðinnsleep?" Loki inquired when Lady Eir looked his way.

"Aye, my Prince," she confirmed. "I fear he has been putting it off for far too long and has now succumbed to it unexpectedly."

Over a millennium of having been treated by Lady Eir allowed Loki to see the tightening around her eyes, which indicated her displeasure at both his father's stubbornness and refusal to look after himself properly. He had seen the expression directed at himself oft enough to instantly recognize it. 'Twas good to know that, while being king might spare his father from having it said aloud, it did not keep Lady Eir from feeling it.

They soon made it to his father's Óðinnsleep chamber and Loki moved aside to allow the healers to transfer his father to the specialized healing bed and properly prepare him for his rest. Instead he turned to one of the guards who had followed them into the chamber.

"Has my mother been notified?" Loki demanded, realizing he had missed what had transpired earlier, far too caught up in his own emotional distress.

His future self was right, he was in no fit state to be making rational and well-thought-out decisions right now, much as Loki hated to admit it even to himself. Internally he cringed to think what he might have done the first time around without the warning.

"Aye, Sire," the Einherjar responded.

Loki frowned, there 'twas again, the 'sire'. Twice in such rapid succession after never having it directed at him before could not be a mere coincidence. He had just opened his mouth to question it, when a disturbance at the door drew his attention. There was some shuffling before Huginn and Muninn flew into the chamber, cawing loudly as they circled his father's bed once, twice, before settling down onto their perches placed on either side of the large, golden bed.

"What happened, is he alright?" Frigga demanded, rushing into the chamber and heading straight for Óðinn.

"He collapsed into the Óðinnsleep in the vault, my Queen," Lady Eir explained, stepping back.

"Will he be alright?"

"His vitals are different from normal, deeper."

Frigga frowned at that, moving back to allow one of the other healers to reach Óðinn, and caught sight of him as she did so.

"Loki," Frigga said, moving towards him.

"Mother," Loki replied, embracing her tightly even as part of him wished to push her away and demand to know why.

Why she had lied to him his whole life? Why had she not simply told him the truth?

Why had she decided to take a monster into her home and heart?

Why had she allowed it? Any or all of it?

"What happened? What is wrong?" Frigga demanded as she pulled back, seeing far more deeply into him than almost anyone else ever could.

Loki tried to look away, but she raised a hand to cup his face and turned him back to look at her.

"Loki?"

"We... argued, Father and I," Loki said carefully, well aware they were far from alone and that their conversation was not private. "Right before he collapsed."

"Oh, Loki, 'twas not your fault. 'Twas overdue."

Of that, at least, Loki was certain. He had seen the signs of the approaching Óðinnsleep for months now. So why did it not help him feel any less guilty about all of this? And how could he feel both that and the blistering, almost all-consuming rage at the man who had pretended to be his father for so long? It made no sense! The urge to shout and scream as he had done in the vault at his fat- Óðinn rose swift and sure within him once more, and 'twas all that Loki could do to choke it back and fight it down. His future self's warnings about his emotional state and all of the damage it would cause were singing loudly in his ears.

Besides, the last thing Loki wanted to do was make a humiliating public spectacle of himself before the Einherjar and healers.

"Loki, what is it? What is wrong?" Frigga questioned with a frown.

Loki's left hand clenched as he thought back on what had happened and what he had learned.

On _what_ he was.

A _monster_.

"Darling?" Frigga pressed, making Loki wince at being called that within earshot of others.

"Mother," he admonished softly.

"Tell me what is bothering you so much then."

With a sigh, Loki leaned closer, so he could whisper directly into her ear. "I know," he said.

"Know what?" Frigga asked back, just as quietly.

"What I am."

His mother reared back at the words, her eyes wide with shock and a strange mixture of disbelief and horror. It made Loki grit his teeth, his own eyes narrowing in displeasure and anger.

"How?" Frigga asked.

"The illusion failed on..." Loki trailed off with a little wave of his hand towards the Bifröst.

"Oh, Loki."

Unable to hold her gaze any longer, Loki pulled back enough to be able to turn around, electing instead to step a little closer to the bed so it would look like he was watching the healers at work. In reality he was gazing past it, trying to sort it all out in his head.

How had he never noticed the fact he was shifted into a form other than his own true one? How had no one else never noticed?

While Loki could well imagine that Óðinn could intimidate his tutors on Ásgarðr into keeping it a secret from him, he knew 'twas not the case for all of those from whom he had learned seiðr. Indeed, there were those among them who would have gladly given away this kind of secret precisely because it would have angered and annoyed Óðinn All-Father. Loki had not been too picky in his tutors if he had felt they could teach him something which he stood to gain from.

Vaguely, Loki was aware of his mother standing behind him, though she clearly did not want to press him while in front of others. For that he was grateful, as he was not at all certain how he might react to any entreaty towards either forgiveness or leniency on his part at the moment. Not after how he had reacted to his father's words, which he could not quite bring himself to regret, but which he also did not feel the need to repeat with Frigga.

Or before an audience.

Eventually his mother moved away, walking towards Lady Eir once the head healer stepped back and stood observing the others rather than participating any further. They spoke quietly for a moment before Frigga moved to sit at the head of the bed, out of the way. Their eyes met when she glanced up at him and Loki felt his heart skip a beat at the mixture of worry and despair he saw there. Whether any of it was for him or not he did not know, but either way he did not think he could deal with his mother's emotional turmoil on top of his own.

Loki had only just turned around when there was a shout from outside the chamber and all the Einherjar lining the hallway lifted their right fists to their hearts in unison and fell to one knee, heads bowed. He could only watch, eyes wide, as the head of the High Council and his father's advisor slowly walked into the chamber, Gungnir held tight in both hands.

The realization of what was happening (and just why the Einherjar had been addressing him as 'sire') hit Loki as Lord Ragnvaldr fell to one knee before him. Swallowing thickly, he could only stare silently at the balding man as he held Gungnir and looked up at him expectantly. The suddenness of it all had him furrowing his brow before half turning to look at his mother, hardly believing this was actually happening.

"Thor is banished," Frigga stated, a look of pride in her eyes which Loki could hardly understand given her words. "The line of succession falls to you. Until Óðinn awakens, Ásgarðr is yours."

Shock, disbelief and horror swept through Loki like wildfire as 'twas confirmed. _Him_ king? A regent king to be certain, but _him_? Loki felt as frozen for a moment as his true physiology made him, before understanding suddenly flooded through him. _This_ is what had happened the last time around which had caused everything to go as terribly awry as his future self had indicated it had. To be so suddenly thrust out of the shadows and into the sun in a position he had never wanted or been truly prepared for, immediately on the heels of having not only his brother banished, but his very self-identity shattered? 'Twas a recipe for disaster, surely that should have been obvious to anyone. _How_ could they have let this happen?

How could his mother have?

Loki felt a flash of rage towards her, stronger even than what he had felt for Óðinn down in the vault. And ha! He could see now why his future self had no longer seen the All-Father as their father! But it quickly drained as he caught the look of worry and vulnerability in Frigga's eyes as she glanced briefly back at Óðinn, before looking upon him once more. Though not quite as wounded as him, she too had experienced some nasty shocks today and was not at her best.

It did nothing to quell the sense of panic and fear still shooting through him as Loki turned back to face Lord Ragnvaldr, who merely moved to offer Gungnir up to him. Absently he was aware of all of the eyes on him (the healers', the guards', his mother's, the servants'), which did not help when all he wanted to do was to run and hide. With an effort, Loki steeled himself, forcing his expression to calm and his hands to steady as he slowly reached out and placed them under Gungnir, carefully taking its weight as Lord Ragnvaldr released it.

The man rose, backed off a few steps, before falling to his knee once more with his right fist over his heart as the Einherjar outside had done. This seemed to be a cue as suddenly all of those remaining standing in the chamber knelt as well.

Loki's eyes darted around, wide, wild and almost frantic as emotions far too numerous and overwhelming to name coursed through him. 'Twas all he could do to remain where he was and take a firmer grip on Gungnir, using it to anchor himself. His future self's warnings and words kept echoing at the back of his mind as well, urging caution and control.

Therefore, even as Loki wanted to laugh hysterically at the thought Lord Ragnvaldr and Queen Frigga had just put a frost giant on Hliðskjálf (and with Óðinn's blessing too given that _he_ had set up the line of succession!), Loki forced it down and focused instead on not showing any of the hysteria or madness he felt with his mental shields and sense of self well and truly shattered beyond all repair. Instead he fell back on the instincts born of centuries worth of adhering to royal tradition and utilizing his position as a prince of Ásgarðr to garner respect where otherwise he would have had none. It might not have worked with Thor's friends, not after his brother had torn his respectability with them to shreds, but it generally did with everyone else.

Automatically, his spine straightened and his chin rose even as Loki took Gungnir more firmly in his right hand, bringing it upright and letting it hit the floor with just enough force for the sound to ring out through the chamber, causing Huginn and Muninn to start cawing for a moment before they settled down once more.

"Rise," Loki said clearly into the ensuing silence.

Though a part of him had always wondered what it would be like to be so effortlessly listened to and obeyed, Loki had never wanted Hliðskjálf for himself despite what others thought. Even now, he could already feel the anticipated claustrophobia creeping in merely at the knowledge of how drastically curtailed his own movements had just become. A king could not come and go as readily, or as easily, as a prince could. Nor could a king stand back in the shadows, subtly manipulating people and situations just so, in order to achieve the desired outcome.

Nay, Loki had never wanted Hliðskjálf himself; he had only ever wanted to be seen as his brother's equal, both by Thor and everyone else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you go, the first chapter of my massive Loki epic! I've only been working on this for just over 3 years, so I really hope you all like it!
> 
> Regardless, do let me know in the comments below. Feedback is always appreciated, positive _or_ negative.
> 
> * * *
> 
> **Old Norse :**
> 
> _galdr_ \- "to sing" & refers to magical songs that were sung with a range of notes. Galdr is usually associated with men's magical incantations.  
>  _seiðr_ \- witchcraft, sorcery / a type of sorcery practiced in Norse society during the Late Scandinavian Iron Age - i.e. magic  
>  _Hliðskjálf_ \- the high seat of Óðinn allowing him to see into all realms - i.e. Óðinn's throne  
>  _jötnar_ \- "frost giants" - jötunn is the singular  
>  _ljósálfar_ \- "light elves" - ljósálfr is the singular  
>  _Iðavöllr_ \- a meeting place of the gods - my name for the palace  
>  _Valaskjálf_ \- one of Óðinn's halls, the room with Hliðskjálf – i.e. the throne room  
>  _Huginn & Muninn_ \- "thought" & "memory/mind" - a pair of ravens that fly all over the world & bring information to Óðinn
> 
> * * *
> 
>  **Original Characters' Names :**  
>    
> _Yngvarr_ \- variant of Ingvarr and essentially meaning 'warrior', 'army' or 'leader of an army' - yes, I liked the idea of being literal here!  
>  _Ragnvaldr_ \- made up of Ragn ('advise', 'decision', 'might') and Vald ('ruler', 'mighty one', 'powerful one') - again, nice and literal :)
> 
> The reason for some of the names being literal is because Norse mythology has a very limited number of names to choose from. Therefore, I had to go digging into Scandinavian ones that looked like they went back far enough to be realistic for use on Ásgarðr.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks very much to everyone who commented on chapter 1, it's greatly appreciated!

The moment the doors to his chambers closed behind the last of the Einherjar, Loki all but collapsed against them. When the guards had requested to check his chambers before allowing him in, it had been all he could do not to snap at them, but Loki had allowed it, reminding himself he had to act normal.

To act _sane_.

'Twas a good indication of how bad things were that Loki felt like doing so was all but impossible. He definitely no longer _felt_ sane. It... the truth about his parentage... his heritage... 'twas all too much to wrap his head around.

Him... Laufey's son.

Him... from Jötunheimr.

Him...

Him...

Him... a 

Loki closed his eyes as he slid down the doors to the floor as he sent out an uncontrolled burst of seiðr, knocking the furniture in his antechamber about.

Nay, it simply could not be!

He was æsir, _Ásgarðrian_. A prince of Ásgarðr to be exact. Or, well, a king now, apparently.

The thought sent a rush of hysteria through him and, before Loki knew it, he was laughing aloud, well able to hear the edge of insanity to it himself. Yet, despite that, he could not bring himself to stop, not after everything, every curse, every urge and every shout he had already bitten back and swallowed today. He could only be thankful he had long since spelled his chambers to prevent any noise from escaping so the Einherjar now posted outside it would not overhear his breakdown.

Why was he feeling so out of control? Loki hardly even recognized himself right now. 'Twas as if he had been replaced by someone other tha...

Loki sat up in shock and horror as a new thought occurred to him. A seiðmadr's magical core was inexorably linked to their sense of self as the seiðr literally _was_ a part of him. It could be increased or decreased through various means, but 'twas as much a part of him as his heart or mind was. For him, using it had also always been instinctive, so much so 'twas easy to forget that for many their true power did not come until they had formed a far more comprehensive sense of self than that which a mere child was capable of.

Thus he had forgotten about it. About that vital connection between his physical and magical self.

With no little trepidation, Loki reached deep down within himself, towards his magical core, before recoiling in horror at what he found. The connection was frayed and even looked almost _flayed_ ; wounded, raw and festering. For the first time ever, he could also see his core clearly. Whereas before it had always been an iridescent mix of colors, swirling from one to the next, now it had differentiated into two distinct sets of colors. There was the emerald green-gold Loki was intimately familiar with from whenever he worked his seiðr, but there was also an icy blue-teal green which he did not recognize. Yet there it was, hopelessly intertwined within his very core, less visible from here, but already he could tell that it seemed to lie deeper than the other, being covered by it, but making up the true heart of who and... and _what_ he was.

The very thought utterly repulsed Loki on a deep, almost instinctive level and he could only watch in horror as his magical connection frayed and festered even more before his very eyes. It sparked violently, traces of raw, wild seiðr skittered along the connection, indicating his loss of control of it. He clamped down on the thoughts immediately, but the damage had already been done and he had no idea how to counteract it or how to even begin to heal himself. Normally he would go to his mother with something like this, as she was far more gifted in the healing arts than him. Now, however, not only was she currently busy with Óðinn, but after how she had lied to him for so many years - having to know that it could cause _this_ when the truth came out - Loki found he did not think he could trust her enough to help him with it at present.

_A core injury._

It... Loki swallowed as he realized the seriousness of the situation and that, without his parents, he was left with no one else to turn to. At least not while he was king and had to appear strong and in control to not only all of Ásgarðr, but the rest of the Nine as well. They were already on the brink of all-out war with one Realm, the last thing Loki needed was for anyone else to think he was weak enough to open the possibility of another Realm deciding to take a chance to attack with Óðinn indisposed and him on Hliðskjálf. There would already be enough people who saw this as an opportunity as 'twas.

This was also not something anyone else on Ásgarðr had the training to deal with. Not with the æsir disdain for seiðr. Nay, it would take a healer from Álfheimr, but there was no way to summon one without word of his need leaking out.

The way his thoughts careened widely from one thought to the next, his emotions swirling wildly within him, finally pushed Loki too far. This was not him! He did not act like this, so... so emotionally loose and irrational. He was Prince Loki (okay king now, but still) of Ásgarðr, renown Silvertongue and Wordsmith, the Trickster who was legendary for his cunning and deviousness. Negotiators who had been sent to deal with Ásgarðr had been known to swear and lose their cool when informed Óðinn had decided to allocate him instead of another diplomat.

He was better than this. He could _do_ better than this!

With an effort, Loki pulled himself together once more, pushing aside all thoughts of what he had learned about himself and his current situation in favor of pulling on one of the many masks he had perfected over the centuries. Doing so he could already feel some of his inner panic settling, the familiar actions soothing in and of themselves. Now able to think more clearly, Loki realized there was one person whom he could consult on his deteriorating grasp on his seiðr. Namely his future self.

Loki frowned at the thought. He truly needed a better way to refer to his temporal twin than the roundabout descriptors he had devised for him, yet calling him Loki simply felt odd. In a strange way the simple problem was soothing and allowed more of his habitual calm to return to him, as it reminded him that not only was there someone there for him, but 'twas someone with some knowledge of how things would play out. That alone made him feel far more in control of the whole situation.

Now, what to call his ally? Some random name simply would not do, so what did that leave? Most of the things which came to mind were attributes he had been assigned over the centuries by others. Wordsmith, Lie-smith, Prince of Shadows, Wizard, Second Prince, Trickster, Dark Prince... None of those were truly any different from what he had originally been calling his future self. So what else...

Loki smiled as it suddenly came to him. It might not be entirely appreciated, especially as _he_ was the younger of the two, but 'twas a name and one which would not sound odd being spoken to what was essentially himself.

Now much calmer, Loki pushed himself to his feet and glanced about at the disarray his earlier outburst had caused in the antechamber. He did not truly want to expend the energy and seiðr to reorganize the mess, but he knew better than anyone how important appearances were and, in his current precarious position, he could ill afford to allow any indication of weakness or lack of control to show.

As soon as he had cleaned the mess, he moved to his bedchamber. Almost immediately his reflection in the mirror wavered and shifted so Loki threw out an obscuring spell to keep Heimdallr from seeing too much, though he dared not hide himself entirely as a king vanishing from sight would be noticed far more quickly than a less favored second prince. Plus the last thing he wanted was to draw any undue attention to all of this. He had no desire to go from king to executee after all.

"Loki," his future self said as soon as the connection fully stabilized.

"Loptr," Loki replied with a twitch of his lips.

'Twas fascinating to be able to watch his own reaction to it. The way Loptr's eyes narrowed fractionally and his lips thinned. Altogether he rather liked the way that it looked, which pleased him greatly.

"You are the younger one and so should more aptly bear a childhood kenning," Loptr stated.

"Hmm, but you have already called me Loki," Loki countered. "You are looking better."

'Twas true. Gone were Loptr's torn, bloodied and dirtied clothes and in their stead Loptr now wore a simpler pair of leather trousers and a green linen tunic. His hair was freshly washed and hung far more neatly, though with a slight curl to it. Loki's breath caught as he finally realized that Loptr holding Gungnir in his right hand was actually rather significant as he was not a simple reflection.

"I feel better too," Loptr said, lips twitching slightly. "Not the least because of what I have just discovered."

"Oh?" Loki queried.

Rather than reply verbally, Loptr reached out to him with his seiðr. Loki reached back, his eyes going wide in shock and disbelief at what he felt. It seemed like Loptr's seiðr, which had already been greater than his own, had more than decupled since they last spoke.

"What..." Loki began, exploring it further, almost recognizing it in parts. "How is this possible?"

"'Tis Ásgarðr," Loptr replied.

"Ásgarðr?"

"Hmm, it makes sense now I think of it, but Óðinn never spoke of it and all references to it are in the books held in the king's personal library," Loptr expanded. "I never did get a chance to explore that the first time around, but it contains many useful tomes on seiðr, including the one which taught me how to reach out to you thus."

The king's library, Loki had not even thought of that despite the countless times that he had petitioned Father to be able to access it. He had always been denied.

"What is it about Ásgarðr?" Loki questioned.

"As one of the four more magical Realms, she apparently has her own magical core," Loptr explained.

Ásgarðr, a magical core?

'Twas a truly intriguing thought and one which was not as surprising as it probably should have been to Loki. More than once he had felt something odd when performing particularly powerful seiðr whilst on Ásgarðr. Something ancient and incredibly powerful, but yet strangely benign in its own way. 'Twas the only reason why he had never panicked when he had felt it as, rather than feeling threatening, it had always felt far more like 'twas... positively disposed towards him. Which had been disconcerting enough on its own, but Loki had only ever felt it when he had been unable to explore it any further, far too focused on more immediate issues. Generally such as saving either his own life or that of his idiot brother.

Loki felt his lips curl into a delighted smile. "A core which is accessible to the king," he guessed.

"Hmm."

"How?"

"You need only find the time to meditate with Gungnir and reach out, down into Ásgarðr herself," Loptr replied. "If I had ever had the time to do so when in your position, I would have discovered it."

Loki did not need to be told why Loptr had not had the time to do so. Even with the knowledge of the disaster which had transpired the first time this timeline had come to pass, he did not think he would have found the time to properly meditate.

"'Tis what gives Óðinn the power to mortalize and banish Thor as he did, as well as to know and see so much of what happened on Ásgarðr," Loptr continued. "'Tis the true source of the Óðinnforce. With it, you will be able to achieve all of the same feats."

The mere thought of that was enough to send Loki's pulse soaring. Seiðr had always been his first true passion, so the ability to not only gain so much more of it, but to also be able to do the things that he had only been able to watch Óðinn perform in awe... 'Twas indescribable, even if the mere thought of all which had been kept from him should have been enough to infuriate him.

What had Father been thinking to believe that _Thor_ would be better suited to something like this than him?

Loki bit down on the reaction that wanted to _scream_ out of him at the answer.

"Steady," Loptr cautioned. "Your core-"

"I know!" Loki snapped, eyes flashing.

Loptr's eyes narrowed sharply in response but, luckily, his future self did not reply. With an effort, Loki managed to struggle his raging emotions back into some semblance of control, though 'twas increasingly more difficult as the betrayals kept piling up.

Desperate for a distraction, Loki reached for the oddity he had noticed before. "Earlier you said you had not discovered Ásgarðr's core _the first time_ , implying there has been a second. You now also hold Gungnir again, so how have you become king once more?"

"Through circumstances which will no longer apply once we have effected the necessary changes in your timeline."

Loki frowned. "Has something happened to Thor?"

The mere thought provoked far more worry and concern within Loki than he would have expected it to. For all that the oaf bothered and dismissed him at times, he still found himself loving his brother for when things were okay between them. More stupid, illogical emotions.

"Nay, Thor is fine," Loptr reassured. "It... No one knows I am king once more."

" _What?_ "

With a sigh Loptr closed his eyes before his form wavered and Loki was left looking at what seemed, to all intents and purposes, to be Óðinn All-Father himself. He gaped at the illusion and only just managed to snap his mouth shut when Loptr dropped it and became himself once more.

"You are impersonating Óðinn?" Loki demanded needlessly. "How? Why?"

"I caught him off-guard," Loptr shrugged. "As for the why, it can be explained later, first we need to focus on other things."

"What other things?"

"Treachery. Treason."

The words froze Loki to his core. He _knew_ that the beginning of a monarch's reign was always when they were most vulnerable. He had been specially trained to help his brother spot and prevent exactly that in the days, weeks and months after Thor ascended to Hliðskjálf. They had also hoped to make it far less likely by doing so while Óðinn was still alive.

But here Loki was now. Newly ascended himself, Ásgarðr on the brink of war and utterly alone. His brother banished to Miðgarðr, his father in the Óðinnsleep and his mother severely distracted and distraught over his father's unexpected collapse. Instead of being surrounded by family as they had planned, Ásgarðr's new king was isolated and alone, perfect for any who would dare to try and betray either him or the Realm, never mind that his reign was only ever meant to be a regency.

Combined with the recent discovery of his... that those who had raised him had been lying to him his whole life, and Loki had never felt so alone before. Not even when faced with what had felt like the disapproval and censure of all whom he had encountered each and every time he had done something which made him stand out from a normal æsir.

"Whose?" Loki hissed, his rage building within him.

For now, while alone with Loptr, he could allow it - to do so before he would have to carefully fold it away to do what needed to be done calmly and methodically. Like a good king.

"Sif and the Warriors Three," Loptr replied.

Loki bit back his initial response, hardly surprised. They had never liked him, and Thor had always allowed them far too much leniency and disrespect towards him. Who could expect them to see him as their king now, after all of _that_?

"Heimdallr."

" _Heimdallr?_ " Loki exclaimed, caught off-guard.

"'Tis not as if 'tis the first time he has performed a questionable act. He did allow passage to Jötunheimr despite knowing no good could come of it and that travel there was forbidden," Loptr pointed out. "His pride has been wounded by the attack during the coronation. Once he discovers you can hide from his sight or obscure your actions..."

Loki did not need Loptr to finish his sentence, he could picture it well enough on his own. Nor could he entirely prevent Heimdallr from discovering his talents, not unless he wanted to risk discovery of what he and Loptr were up to. Besides, removing Heimdallr would make his life easier. Still, if he moved against the gatekeeper, he would need a very good reason to do so or Óðinn would question his motives when his father woke.

"And reminding Heimdallr of his sworn duty?"

"Will make him follow the letter of the law-"

"But not the spirit of it," Loki concluded.

"Nay. You will need to act decisively once he allows Sif and the Warriors Idiot to go to Miðgarðr."

Loki frowned. "Why not prevent them from doing so, now I know they will?"

"Because 'tis proof of their treason," Loptr replied, a wicked smile crossing his face. "And dereliction of duty in a time of war."

The idea took a moment to settle, Loki being far too focused at first on it requiring Thor's friends to successfully disobey him so publicly, but then it did and he saw the beauty of it. Up until now, he had hardly ever been able to call any of them out on their deliberate disrespect towards him or any of their other actions as Thor had always stood by them. But now his brother was gone and he was king. _He_ was the ultimate authority on Ásgarðr until his fa- Óðinn awoke once more. If he had to put up with all of the drudgery and protocol which came with the position, then he was damn well going to enjoy the perks which came with it too.

And arresting Lady Sif and the Warriors Three for treason? That was one perk which was worth a lot of unpleasantness.

"When do they go?" Loki demanded.

"After you deny their request to end Thor's banishment."

"They actually demand that of me?"

"Hmm," Loptr confirmed. "They came thinking to speak with Óðinn, then requested to see Mother when I told them what happened, disregarding the fact I sat on Hliðskjálf with Gungnir."

"Of course," Loki snorted.

Unfortunately he had no trouble imagining the four warriors asking him to undo his father's last command as his first. How could they have spent so much time so close to Hliðskjálf and yet have learned so little? On second thought, Loki knew exactly how. Any sort of logical and strategic thinking had never exactly been his brother's forte, so 'twas no surprise Thor's friends possessed none of it either. They would simply have continued to encourage Thor's bad behavior had his brother ascended to Hliðskjálf.

'Twas not like he had ever been able to direct Thor away from any action they encouraged or initiated, no matter how foolish.

A dark part of Loki almost wished he had not interfered with the coronation and simply allowed it to go through as planned. There would have been a certain amount of satisfaction in watching his brother fail as spectacularly as he was certain Thor would have. A pity he had not been able to allow himself to subject either Ásgarðr or the Nine to that. If he had ever had any true designs on Hliðskjálf, he just might have as it would have been a guaranteed way to make Thor seen as unworthy in everyone's eyes.

"So, speak with Sif and the others when they come to see me, allow them to go to Miðgarðr and then arrest Heimdallr," Loki concluded.

"Hmm," Loptr agreed. "And do not give into the temptation to go visit Thor. Use your new powers to view him from afar if you must, but do not go speak with him. It serves no purpose but to soothe your wounded pride and will actually harm you in the long run."

The implication he would act solely to appease his pride stung, but Loki forced himself to consider Loptr's words. He knew he had acted foolishly in the past for similar reasons so, while he might have thought he had eradicated that particular character flaw, he had to confront the fact that, mayhap, he had not. Loptr would be the one to know as Loki had only ever been able to see what had been driving him in those circumstances after the fact.

"How will it harm me?" Loki questioned.

"You will lie to him and it will come out when the Warriors Idiot find Thor," Loptr explained. "If you do not contact Thor, then all he will have is their word."

"Hardly a good thing."

"True, but if you have removed Heimdallr from his post, then they cannot move against you. Therefore you should not act any further against them either."

Loki's eyes narrowed as he considered Loptr's words. Act against them? How would he?

"The Destroyer," Loki realized with a rush. "You sent it to Miðgarðr?"

He could hardly believe the words even as he spoke them. 'Twas such a rash move that Loki wished he could deny it would ever even occur to him, but, given the way he had already acted and reacted earlier today, he found he could not. If he had not been expecting a betrayal from his so-called friends and then it happened on top of everything else he had already experienced... well he could see how he might react rashly and without thinking.

"Hmm," Loptr confirmed. "And 'tis in battling it that Thor fulfills the requirements Óðinn set out for him to regain his immortality and powers."

"Allowing Thor to return."

While Loki had no intention or desire to remain on Hliðskjálf for any length of time, he had already realized the possibilities his being on it now had opened up to him. At some point Óðinn had deemed Thor more worthy of it than him and, while he now strongly suspected that had more to do with their respective species than anything else, it still grated. Especially given how woefully unprepared for Hliðskjálf his brother was. Therefore he wished to use the opportunity to prove to Óðinn, Thor and everyone who had ever doubted him, exactly how capable of it he truly was.

Which required him to maintain the regency long enough to actually do something of note.

Loki knew Ásgarðr's rules and protocols well enough to know that, once a regency was granted, it could not be easily revoked. Thus Thor returning fully restored did not mean he would become king in Loki's stead, but Loki was far too well aware of public sentiment regarding the two of them to think there would not be a strong desire to have Thor do precisely that. So, if not interfering with his brother's sentence was what it took to maintain Hliðskjálf long enough to achieve that which he wished, then 'twas a small price to pay. He would be able to gloat to Thor even more later as a result.

"Very well," Loki finally said. "I will leave Thor alone, allow his friends to go rile him up and arrest Heimdallr after they have gone."

"Good. Now, we need to talk about Jötunheimr."

"Oh, I already have an idea about that," Loki replied darkly.

He knew exactly how to take care of the monsters and their Realm.

"Nay," Loptr retorted, voice sharp and full of far more command than Loki thought he could ever have managed before. "You will _not_ use the Bifröst."

Part of Loki wanted to demand how Loptr knew about it, but luckily he caught himself in time. Of course his future self would know what he had planned. Clearly his thinking was still far from as clear as he would like it to be.

"Why not?" Loki demanded, petulantly.

"Because 'tis precisely what Thor would do," Loptr snapped. "Think, Loki, _think_!"

The words were like a slap to the face and he struggled not to snarl back at Loptr. If it had been anyone else, his supposed family included, he would have, but Loptr was an exception. A singular, _temporary_ , exception.

With an extreme struggle, Loki forced himself to close his eyes and take a few deep breaths. His grip on Gungnir tightened involuntarily but that was okay for now, as there was only Loptr around to witness it. That his emotions were clouding his rational mind had already been proven time and again today. What was one more instance? Truthfully 'twas not so much that which was bothering him, as the comparison to his brother. Thor was an idiotic oaf who could not recognize common sense if it walked up to him and slapped him on the forehead.

"Loki," Loptr said gently, drawing his attention back to him.

"Aye?" Loki asked, voice far more vulnerable than he felt comfortable with, even with his future self.

"Think. What were you advising Thor to do while on Jötunheimr?"

The reminder made Loki grit his teeth, suddenly seeing where this was going. "To walk away."

"Why?"

"Because 'twas a stupid and thoughtless way to start a war."

"And?"

"'Twas warmongering at its finest by an idiot who does not understand what he was seeking."

"Exactly."

Loptr did not need to say anymore, Loki already knew what came next. Not wanting to, he hesitated a moment before forcing himself to continue.

"You wish for me to go back to what I advocated before."

"'Tis what you would do if not so clouded by emotions and blinded by the horror of what you have just learned."

Loki bit back a sigh but forced himself to consider Loptr's words. He _had_ been against starting any kind of conflict with Jötunheimr before he had learned the truth of his heritage. Besides, had not his whole concern with Thor becoming king been about his fears that Thor would thoughtlessly start wars with the other Realms and devolve the Nine into needless conflict? It grated like nothing else to think he had been on the verge of doing the same, and all because of his emotional reaction to discovering he was not an áss.

Nay, Loptr was right. If he were in his right mind, he would never have considered utterly destroying Jötunheimr. Loki was not stupid enough to pretend, even to himself, he had ever had any love for the frost giants, but 'twas about keeping the Nine, and thus the Yggdrasill, in balance.

"You are right," Loki admitted reluctantly, but grateful Loptr was here to keep him from repeating his temporal twin's mistakes.

"Good. Trust me, you cannot even imagine how badly you would come to regret that decision. Even above and beyond having acted more like Thor than yourself."

The fear from earlier was back, but Loki pushed it aside, knowing he had to know. If for nothing else than to firm his resolve and stick to his new course of action.

"What happened?" Loki questioned.

Loptr looked uncomfortable for a moment and Loki could well understand why. From what he had already heard, he knew things had gone badly, very, very badly, and all because of a poor decision he himself had made. Well, to a certain extent anyway.

"I thought as you, to use the Bifröst against Jötunheimr, so I arranged a situation with Laufey for him to come to Ásgarðr to try to kill Óðinn," Loptr began, tonelessly. "It succeeded, but fully turned Heimdallr against me as he had realized he could not fully see me when I was on Jötunheimr, speaking with Laufey."

The way Loptr said the frost giant's name was odd. Loki could detect disgust and anger there, but there was also something else. Something...

"You have come to feel something for him," Loki realized, shocked.

Loptr closed his eyes. "I may have begun to wonder if Óðinn spoke the truth, when he told us how we came to be with him."

Loki sucked in a breath at those words. His first reaction was to reject them outright, but truly, he already thought Óðinn had been lying to him when they spoke in the vault. So why not about something else as well?

"What are you thinking?" Loki asked.

"He said we were found in a temple. How many people abandon children in a sacred place of worship?"

It... was a valid point. Well, unless runts were somehow tied up in whatever religion the frost giants believed in.

"You want me to ask Laufey?" Loki demanded in shock.

"Nay, but I do not want you to kill him without knowing the full truth either," Loptr countered. "Besides, it moves you from the blameless category in this whole mess, into one of the aggressors. And that makes what you need to do in the future much harder."

"Future?" Loki echoed with dismay.

There was more?

"Hmm. 'Tis why I have taken on Óðinn's appearance rather than simply using my supposed death to vanish," Loptr explained. "But let me explain things chronologically. After I arranged for Laufey to try to assassinate Óðinn, Heimdallr decided 'twas his duty to try and kill me."

"Kill you?" Loki demanded in shock.

Heimdallr? He knew the man had never liked him, but this was worse than Loki had ever imagined. Not to mention that it would be regicide given his current status as regent king, one of the most abhorrent crimes one could commit on Ásgarðr. Thus to think the gatekeeper of the Bifröst would attempt it, was nearly unthinkable.

"Hmm, he did not succeed, obviously, but it means the possibility is there he will attempt to do so with you, so beware," Loptr responded. "As for Laufey's own regicide attempt, I used the opportunity to kill him and then used the attack as an excuse to destroy Jötunheimr. By sending the Destroyer against Thor, though, I had provided him with the perfect opportunity to prove his worth, so he returned precisely in time to stop me. However I had already locked the Bifröst onto Jötunheimr, so the only way for him to stop it was to destroy the Bifröst."

" _Destroy_ the Bifröst?" Loki repeated in disbelief. "Why by the Norns would he do that? It would isolate Ásgarðr from the rest of the Nine!"

"He claims to have changed and did not want to see a whole species destroyed."

"Thor did not want to slaughter every single frost giant?"

"Hmm."

The mere thought sent Loki reeling. That was almost unbelievable. 'Twas a complete change from the oaf's earlier attitude when charging carelessly into Jötunheimr and so shortly after it too; within days of the frost giants' attempt on the Casket of Ancient Winters. Could Thor possibly change that much after so long? The possibility left a bad taste in Loki's mouth. How long had he been attempting to teach his brother this exact lesson and, after all of that, it took a mistake on his part for it to actually sink in?

Loki's hand clenched on Gungnir once more. As if he needed any further proof Thor did not listen to him, this was definitely it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta da, chapter two. I hope you all liked it and don't worry, this scene continues in chapter 3. Loptr still has more to warn Loki about, as well as some idea/suggestions to pass on.
> 
> * * *
> 
> **Old Norse :**
> 
> _seiðmadr_ \- a combination of seiðr (“witchcraft”) + maðr (“man”) - i.e. wizard/sorcerer/mage  
>  _seiðr_ \- witchcraft, sorcery / a type of sorcery practiced in Norse society during the Late Scandinavian Iron Age - i.e. magic  
>  _Loptr_ \- one of the alternative names for Loki in Norse mythology  
>  _áss_ \- "one of the gods/æsir" - the plural is ás, while the female equivalents are ásynja/ásynjur


	3. Chapter 3

"Would destroying the Bifröst not cause a magical backlash?" Loki inquired, forcing himself to focus on the issue at hand.

"Oh, aye," Loptr confirmed. "It threw us both into the air and over the edge of the broken Bifröst. Óðinn arrived just in time to grab hold of Thor's foot. He managed to grab Gungnir and I caught the other end of Gungnir. I... spoke briefly with Óðinn, trying to explain why I had done what I had, but he rejected it so I... I let go."

Horror was the immediate reaction and Loki found that words utterly failed him.

_Suicide._

Suicide was what Loptr was admitting to, though not in quite so many words. There was nothing which Loki could say. That the mere idea of it shocked and horrified him was comforting as it proved he was nowhere near that point himself, but neither was he quite as far away from it as he would like either. Without Loptr, and with the right emotional hits, Loki could see himself arriving there, which was exactly where Loptr had been.

"Was the Bifröst wormhole still open?" Loki finally asked.

"Hmm."

"I did not know anyone could survive the Void."

"Most would not," Loptr stated simply, voice expressionless. "Without my seiðr, I would not have. It... there is no way to describe it."

Neither did Loki want him to, simply the thought of it enough to chill him. Knowing he could survive it was enough knowledge for him at present. If he required any encouragement over the next few days to stick to his new course of action, this would definitely be it. Now he knew exactly why he had detected a few traces of madness and mental instability within Loptr's mind. He would put up with a lot, including Óðinn All-Father, to avoid that splintering of the mind from happening to him.

"How did you get out of it?" Loki asked.

"I was pulled out."

The sudden emotion in Loptr's voice after the careful neutrality from before filled Loki with dread, as it had all been negative. Anger, pain, fear he was able to recognize easily enough, but the rest were a hopeless jumble of what he strongly suspected was agony, terror and despair.

Loptr suddenly looked past Loki's shoulder before continuing. "The one who pulled me from the Void was Thanos, the Mad Titan. Óðinn's old foe."

Ice crept through Loki. He knew the old stories, both those embellished and told in the feasting halls as well as the more clinical accounts kept in the library. None were good and he knew well what a danger to the Yggdrasill Thanos was.

"Did he know of your relationship with Óðinn?" Loki inquired softly.

"Oh, aye. As well as my own talents and skills, which was why he was particularly delighted to capture me," Loptr continued. "He has plans for Ásgarðr, the Nine and the Yggdrasill. Plans which involve gathering the Infinity Stones and utilizing them. And he knows that one of them, the Tesseract, is currently located on Miðgarðr as the humans have commenced experimenting with it."

"Fools," Loki muttered, knowing where this was going, and 'twas all he could do not to pity Loptr. "He wanted you to use your familiarity with the Tesseract to sky walk to it from wherever he was."

"Precisely, followed by arranging for it to be used to open a portal through which his chitauri army could travel to invade Miðgarðr, and conquer it. He pretended he would give me Miðgarðr afterwards."

"Of course. His goal was Ásgarðr, aye?"

"Eventually. That and all of the Nine, as well as the Yggdrasill. He asked me many questions about the World Tree. I am not entirely certain what his intentions are, but I doubt they are anything either of us wish to see become reality."

"Did you tell Óðinn what had happened when the invasion failed and Thor captured you?" Loki questioned.

The twitching of Loptr's lips told Loki his future self enjoyed not having to explain the plan he had devised to get away from the Titan. The amusement was short-lived, however, and Loki could well understand why. He did not need Loptr to tell him what Thanos had done to get him to the point where he would consider such a desperate plan to begin with. To say there had been torture involved would be an understatement, he was certain. Thanos was renown for his cruelty and sadism, so when presented with a supposed son of his old nemesis who had bested him and who was now resisting him... Thanos had probably thought he had found Valhöll.

"Nay, what would be the point?" Loptr sneered.

Loki could understand that point too. He had been accused of lying oft enough when telling the truth to see how it would happen here as well. Especially when Óðinn and all the others were so confident of their victory over Thanos. Pretty much every single account he had read of the time had ended by saying Thanos had been either fully defeated, or beaten down sufficiently so as to never recover. If he mentioned the Mad Titan's name in court, it would only be seen as him grasping at straws to save himself.

'Twas not like most of Ásgarðr did not already think he secretly desired Hliðskjálf for himself as 'twas. So why would they not think he would consider ruling another Realm as an alternative?

"Very well, so first Jötunheimr and then Thanos," Loki stated, not quite certain if he liked having something to focus his attention on or not.

If handled correctly, he could use both situations and manipulate them to his advantage.

"And the myrkálfar," Loptr added.

"The myrkálfar? Were they not all destroyed?"

"Apparently not."

The desire to laugh rose within Loki but he resisted, knowing it would not sound entirely sane. Were Ásgarðr's chronologists correct about anything? Or was it simply that Óðinn's line, both up and down, were pathologically incapable of telling the truth? And they called _him_ the God of Lies and Lie-Smith!

"Do we care?" Loki asked, hoping to avoid adding yet another issue for him to deal with.

"They kill Mother."

The words froze Loki in place, with only his eyes able to move, snapping up to Loptr's face. " _What?_ "

"They kill Frigga when they attack Ásgarðr while chasing the Aether, which infected a mortal Thor falls in love with and whom he subsequently brought here to have Lady Eir examine her."

Normally the fact his idiot brother actually fell in love with a mortal would immediately capture Loki's attention and ridicule, but now it hardly even registered. Instead his entire attention was focused on the fact Loptr knew when Mother was meant to die and how he could keep it from happening.

"When and how?"

"About two years and six months from your time now," Loptr replied. "'Twas a mixed frontal attack and infiltration. Their ships have a stealth mode which conceals them from sight, even from us, allowing them to approach Ásgarðr without being detected. Heimdallr only noticed the first one at the very last moment and he managed to bring it down, but 'twas not alone."

"And the ones inside?"

"Simply the one, I believe. He came in as a prisoner captured when Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three put down the unrest which arose among the Nine when the Bifröst was destroyed," Loptr told him. "I did not see all of it as I was confined to my own cell, but it seems the myrkálfr came in disguised as a regular ruffian and then activated whatever device makes them a Kursed soldier."

"Those accounts are real?"

"Hmm, everything they say and more. When Óðinn refused to allow Thor go after them to save his mortal and avenge Mother, he came to me for help traveling to Svartálfaheimr. In exchange he would give me a chance at revenge, ere being locked up once more. During the fight, Thor faced off against the Kursed and learned the truth about them the hard way. The idiot was helpless before him, being beaten into the ground when I interfered."

Ah, Loki could guess what had happened there. "Let me guess, you used the opportunity to fake your own death to avoid being taken back?"

"Hmm. I ran it through with one of their weapons, knowing it would turn and pull me onto the sword as well," Loptr explained. "But that allowed my double close enough to activate one of their blackhole grenades."

"An effective way to kill an undefeatable soldier," Loki praised.

"I thought so."

Ah, so that was how that particular smirk of his looked to others. Loki was rather pleased with the effect, though not quite as much as his unimpressed or darker glares, but 'twas still more than acceptable.

"Your thoughts?" Loki inquired, knowing Loptr would at least have a plan on how to prevent their mother's death.

"Never allow the Aether to come to Ásgarðr to begin with. Either intercept it before Thor brings Dr. Foster here, or prevent her from finding it in the first place, though that would be far more difficult."

"You do not know where she found it?"

"Nay, simply that 'twas not on Miðgarðr. Apparently the connections between the Nine loosen and blur with the approach of the Convergence."

"So it could be anywhere."

"Hmm, unfortunately. And there is more, which I have only now discovered. It seems the Aether is the Reality Stone and thus will be sought by Thanos."

"Very well, I will do what I can, but ensure Mother's safety above all else."

The way Loptr's eyes skittered away when he looked at him told Loki there was probably more to the story of their mother's death, but clearly his temporal twin did not think it important to pass on to him. Though a part of him wished to know what it was, the rest of him was not certain how much more he could take. As 'twas, he already had more to take care of than he had probably ever had to do before. At least in terms of importance. And 'twas only an hour ago he had been overwhelmed by being crowned king of Ásgarðr!

"Oh, and Loki, one more thing," Loptr said.

"Hmm?"

"Thor does not care, at least not in the long run as I never saw his initial reaction."

Loki frowned. "Does not care about what?"

"Our heritage and what we are."

Loki almost flinched at the reminder, not even wanting to think of it. Yet, if what Loptr had said earlier was true, then it truly was in his best interests to come to terms with it. Between knowing and doing though... It grated that Loki now found himself in a situation where he was reacting more like his brother than ever before, especially now he knew he and Thor were not even actually related to each other. That alone would almost be enough to make him overcome it. Almost. Luckily he had the draw of new and alluring seiðr to help bridge the gap.

If he had to be a frost giant, then, by the Norns, was he going to obtain all of the benefits of being one!

But first, the matter at hand.

"Prince ' _when I am king I am going to slay them all_ ' does not care?" Loki questioned in disbelief.

"Not long-term, he still kept insisting we were brothers until recently," Loptr confirmed.

"Until recently?"

Loptr shrugged, but Loki could read the hurt which underlay the gesture in the other's eyes. "Apparently the attack on Miðgarðr, and my reaction upon my return here, were enough to change his mind. Well, at least until he thought I was dying with dignity in his arms anyway."

Loki nearly smirked at those words. He was glad to see that, no matter what had happened to Loptr, he could still recognize himself in his temporal twin. 'Twas reassuring. And allowing his double to die in Thor's arms after such a heroic feat as saving his brother at the expense of his own life? 'Twas exactly what he would have done in Loptr's place, even now.

As for Thor himself, well, Loki was not entirely certain what to think. Could his brother truly suddenly change so much in such a short period of time after centuries of not changing at all, despite all of Loki's best efforts to teach him? It hurt to even consider the possibility, as it implied Thor had never truly seen him as worthy of being listened to. That should not hurt as much as it did, as 'twas not like Loki had been under any illusions as to his importance to his brother for over half a millennium now.

"It might be a moot point," Loki said as a new thought occurred to him. "Now I know, Mother and Father may elect to inform Thor as well."

"True," Loptr agreed. "Simply give him a chance to set the tone, if you wish to control the situation."

Which was a nice way of telling him to keep his temper, though Loki appreciated the delicacy as he had taken far too many shocks and hits already in the past... he was not actually certain how much time had passed since he had stood in this very spot, preparing for the coronation.

"I must soon go," Loptr stated, glancing over his shoulder. "Óðinn is expected to deal with some dispute soon."

Loki could not help it, he laughed. "Any luck replicating his erratic decision-making process?"

"Nay, honestly I have hardly even tried. And, rather than appearing suspicious, the High Council seems pleased the All-Father has become somewhat more predictable."

"Interesting."

"Hmm, something to consider in your dealings with them."

"I think we will be rather more focused on Jötunheimr than any mere disputes, but I shall endeavor to keep it in mind."

"Good. Now, I do not know how soon any changes you effect will ripple through the timeline to reach me, but until such time, I will be here to help in any way I can," Loptr promised.

"I can contact you?" Loki questioned in surprise.

"Not entirely, but if you properly initiate the obsidian amulet we bought on Álfheimr, then I will be able to reach out and connect with it. Through it, I should be able to detect when you focus heavily on it."

Such a talisman would also give Loki a focus for any ill-considered emotions or actions which might tempt him to act irrationally while he worked on stabilizing his core, and thus his seiðr. Having that type of touchstone would also be a great aid when connecting with Ásgarðr herself, as it would provide him with another anchor for his fluctuating seiðr and sense of self.

"I will do it right away," Loki promised.

"Good luck, Loki," Loptr responded, before giving him a smile that was all teeth and impressively predatory, if Loki said so himself. "And show both Óðinn and all of Ásgarðr what we are truly capable of, when not spiraling out of control due to both personal and royal shocks."

"Norns willing, I shall be able to tell you all about it before the ripples catch up with you."

With a final nod at him, Loptr cut the connection, allowing the mirror to waver and ripple before showing Loki his own reflection once more. The transition made him frown a little as he regarded himself. Despite seeing Loptr with Gungnir for the entirety of their conversation, there was still something surprisingly unsettling about seeing himself as he was now, holding the King's Spear. 'Twas not the clothing, as he was used to seeing himself in a variety of different outfits from the very simple to the overly elaborate. So what was it?

"Ah," Loki uttered as realization dawned.

The hair.

Loptr had lengthened his hair somewhere along the line, which was quite apparent seeing as his future self had not been wearing his headpiece. Loki tilted his head in consideration as he tried to imagine himself with longer hair. Seeing as he had not visibly aged between now and the time Loptr came from, 'twas not hard to do, but he was not entirely certain how it would look with his headpiece. Probably not as good, but that was of lesser concern, given how infrequently he was likely to wear it as king.

So, should he lengthen his hair? Loki knew only all too well how much appearances could matter and, if he changed a key aspect of it like his hair length now, before he began appearing publicly as king, then it would forevermore associate those two things together in people's minds. Which meant that once he became a prince once more, and the second prince at that, his longer hair would still remind people of the position he had once held. Hopefully it would help him retain some of the respect which he deserved, but had hardly ever received.

It took only a simple gesture of his hand for his hair to grow to the desired length. The effort took more out of Loki than he wanted to admit, even to himself, so he took a moment to steel himself. With an effort, he cleared his mind of all negative thoughts regarding frost giants, his heritage and all that he had learned about himself recently. Instead he chose to focus on what Loptr had told him regarding the seiðr which his new status would allow him access to. 'Twas something which rather excited him, if he were honest with himself, as there was almost nothing he loved better than studying and acquiring new seiðr.

New seiðr like the ability to reach across space and time as Loptr had done to contact him.

Seiðr which was already changing the very fabric of what was.

Loki laughed at the thought of precisely what he and Loptr were achieving here. That which was expressly forbidden and deemed nigh on impossible by even the vast majority of seiðberandi. Fools, the lot of them. He knew he was starting to feel better when the thought was not immediately followed by the desire to make them all aware of how wrong they had been. Nay, instead he planned to guard this particular secret quite jealously. No one but Loptr and the Norns would ever know of it.

As it had ever been, so would it be again. He would do things for himself; not for Óðinn, not for Thor and definitely not for those who would choose to betray him at the earliest possible opportunity.

Nay, Loki would do what he had done for centuries now. He would keep quiet about his greatest magical achievements and utilize them to help manipulate people and situations from the shadows. Well, he would once he could get back to actually being _in_ the shadows. Until then, he could take advantage of his current predicament to set things up as he needed them, so he could then focus on the other two items which would require his complete and utter attention.

Namely Thanos and the myrkálfar.

His earlier rage was back, only now redirected to two far less self-destructive targets. No one imprisoned and tortured him or even threatened his mother, let alone actually harmed or killed her. For both, Loki would ensure they paid and did so completely. By the time that he was done with them, neither Thanos nor the myrkálfar would ever be able to hurt him and his ever again.

A quick check of his core showed Loki that the deterioration he had witnessed earlier had thankfully stopped, and he closed his eyes in relief. While far from good, at least he was not getting any worse while he sought to heal himself. 'Twas a start and, right now, Loki was willing to take what he could obtain as he slowly worked himself back up to his full strength and capacity, at which time he could go back to demanding perfection from himself. Just now, though, he needed to admit to himself he was in no condition to provide that, and instead focus on survival.

So, he needed to prime the obsidian amulet for Loptr to access and meditate so he could commune with Ásgarðr. Loki had just started moving the drawers with the amulet when another thought occurred to him. With a quick check in the mirror to ensure he was presentable, he turned back to the entrance to his chambers. Opening the door, he turned his attention to Lieutenant-General Yngvarr standing outside.

"Send word to Lord Ragnvaldr, I need the High Council convened first thing in the morn to discuss the situation with Jötunheimr," Loki ordered.

"Aye, your Majesty," the lieutenant-general replied, a gesture of his hand sending one of the other Einherjar from the corridor with a small bow. "My Liege," the man continued when Loki turned to retreat back into his chamber. Instead of replying, he merely glanced at the man. "Do you require a meal?"

As if summoned by the words, Loki's stomach growled and he realized he had not eaten anything since he broke his fast after rising, now over fifteen hours earlier. "Hmm, have it brought to my dining chamber."

"Your Majesty."

Slightly unsettled with the attention paid even to his eating habits, Loki retreated all the way back into his bedchamber. Beyond access to the king's library and the ability to fix the timeline, he could not give Hliðskjálf back to his fa- Óðinn fast enough. He was not cut out for this type of constant scrutiny. The thought reminded him of Heimdallr, and Loki reluctantly removed the obscuring spell he had cast before speaking with Loptr. He immediately felt naked without it as he could feel Heimdallr's gaze swinging his way not long after, making him wonder if the gatekeeper had noticed his earlier spell work.

It hardly mattered as he already knew of the man's treasonous nature, but Loki knew the more events changed from how they had been with Loptr, the less predictable they would be. 'Twas the biggest drawback to altering the course of history; the outcome was never certain and the further one moved from the original change, the more things deviated from what had come the first time. So, to act as normally as possible, Loki used his seiðr to change into an outfit similar to Loptr's, only without footwear, before settling onto his favorite cushion, folding his legs beneath him. He brought Gungnir down before him, holding it with both hands as he examined it.

Despite having grown up with the King's Staff, this was the first time Loki was able to examine it this closely. Carefully, reverently, he ran his hands over it, exploring every inch of that which was both a weapon and a symbol of authority. There was not a single Ásgarðrian alive who did not immediately associate Gungnir with the kings of Ásgarðr. 'Twas rumored to be the seat of the Óðinnforce which his father wielded. A claim Loki now knew to be truer than he had ever believed, if not quite in the manner most meant.

Still feeling Heimdallr's heavy gaze upon him, Loki allowed his eyes to fall closed even as he began regulating his breathing, carefully sinking into the familiar meditative state he had practiced for most of his life. Though he normally hated to do so while being watched, he knew he was perfectly safe at present. Heimdallr would never dare make an overt move against him at present and, even if he would, the Einherjar guarded his door and his extensive wards covered both that and every other possible entrance to his chambers.

All thoughts of the Bifröst's treasonous keeper fled Loki's mind as he felt the first brush of foreign seiðr against his senses. 'Twas a coy, gentle touch, far more playful and joyful than anything else. His forehead scrunched up in confusion as he startled, the unexpected reaction catching him off-guard. Was that Ásgarðr? Surely she would be far more regal and reserved. Uncertain, Loki carefully reached out with his own seiðr, running it along Gungnir, detecting all of the spells, protections and wards tied into her ancient metal, making her hum with seiðr to the point of becoming her own presence to any seiðberandi powerful enough to sense her. 'Twas a familiar and comforting presence which soothed his nerves even before some of the protections seemed to react to his own fractured seiðr, and reached out in an attempt to heal him.

Not sensing any danger, Loki allowed it, utilizing the foreign seiðr to help replenish his own diminished stores. Then he followed Gungnir's presence down, down, down into Ásgarðr itself. At first he sensed nothing before, with a suddenness which caught him off-guard, the playful presence from earlier burst to life across his senses once more. If not for its sheer power and _where_ he was probing, Loki would have thought that he had brushed the mind of a child, a budding seiðkona to be certain, but a child nonetheless.

His thought seemed to excite and amuse Ásgarðr, as Loki felt himself gathered up and _embraced_ by happy playfulness which was nonetheless tinged with ancient, powerful seiðr.

Ancient, powerful, _sentient_ seiðr.

Or at the very least semi-sentient seiðr, since Loki could not detect a mind such as it was, but Ásgarðr was definitely not inanimate like Gungnir or any other powerful magical object he had come across like Mjǫlnir or even the Casket of Ancient Winters. Even if the latter had almost felt like there _should_ be something there.

 _Ásgarðr_ once more flooded his senses and 'twas all Loki could do to hold on. 'Twas the strangest feeling, the presence not fully sentient and yet clearly not inanimate either, full of delight, mischief and yet ancient beyond all belief. The latter alone told Loki he truly was communing with Ásgarðr's magical core itself, as he did not think any living being could become so old. 'Twas a humbling thought, to think that the Realm on which he had lived and spent most of his life, had slowly been taking on seiðr and sentience over the millennia of its existence until it became that which he sensed now.

The closer link with it also allowed Loki to confirm that, aye, this was the presence he had felt on several occasions during his life, aiding him in times of dire need, either to save himself or Thor. Or both. Knowing 'twas _Ásgarðr_ itself explained why she had done so, even if it still left him completely in the dark as to _why_ she felt so thrilled to feel _him_ here with her.

Almost as in response to his thoughts, Ásgarðr coiled herself tighter around his presence, as if fearing he would draw back and leave her. Loki laughed, the softer emotions practically contagious even as the thought of turning away from this was ridiculous in and of itself. The _power_ he felt within Ásgarðr's core was staggering, and he realized what he had felt from Loptr was only part of what was available to his future self through Loptr's connection with Ásgarðr.

Strangely, though, 'twas the thought of rejecting anything which was _this_ eager to be with him that bothered Loki the most. Normally people reacted with suspicion, at the very least, when they encountered him; his reputation or such as it was perceived by others, preceding him. Thus to encounter someone, or some _thing_ , that had to be as aware of him as she would be, happy, let alone _excited_ , to see him was a novelty. Carefully he extended a tendril of seiðr with less shielding only for Ásgarðr to wrap herself around it fully. There was more amusement and excitement before images flashed in front of his mind's eye.

At first they went too quickly for Loki to decipher, but then they slowed and he saw countless instances of pranks and tricks he had pulled over the course of his life, only all were from a perspective not his own. They included all of his personal favorites as well as a host of others, not all of them successful, but clearly each and every one had entertained Ásgarðr, which sent a swell of pride and achievement through him. It had been a long time since anyone had admitted they liked any of his tricks, let alone those whose only purpose was to entertain.

Those scenes were swiftly followed by others of him learning and practicing seiðr in all forms, along with all the time Loki had spent studying the history of Ásgarðr, her people and the rest of the Nine Realms. Those memories seemed tinged with warmth and appreciation rather than amusement, but Loki soaked it all up nonetheless. Despite pretending he had not required anyone's validation, 'twas not until now he realized how good some acknowledgement of his less æsir touted achievements and skills could feel.

It took him a while, but eventually Loki realized the excitement he had detected from the start was because Ásgarðr was pleased at the prospect of binding with him. 'Twas almost as if she had been waiting to do so, reaching out when things became desperate, to ensure neither he nor Óðinn's heir died in the interim. It pleased Loki ridiculously, when he felt a distinctly colder vibe from the Realm when he concentrated on Thor and he received a few flashes of some of his brother's less admiral moments, followed swiftly by humor at the failed coronation. He could only hope Father did not discover that particular tidbit when he reconnected with Ásgarðr upon awakening.

There was a reassuring flow of calmer emotions and Loki hoped 'twas Ásgarðr's attempt to try and reassure him. He chose to take comfort in the fact he had never been punished for some of the tricks which Ásgarðr clearly knew about, but which Óðinn never seemed to have figured out. Until proven otherwise, 'twas good enough evidence that not everything which Ásgarðr knew or saw was passed on.

A fact which Loki made a mental note to remember moving forwards.

A feeling almost like laughter rolled over Loki even as there were sparks along his connection with Ásgarðr, and he raised an eyebrow as he realized he had made her laugh.

"I think we are going to get along very well," Loki whispered at her. "So, care to tell me how we bond?"

Knowledge and delight flooded through him and Loki took a moment to make certain he understood the process, before carefully dropping most of his shields and welcoming Ásgarðr in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you go, the third chapter in this epic. I hope you liked it and enjoyed meeting Ásgarðr, as she will have a large part to play. And for those who like Loptr, don't worry, he'll be back :)
> 
> Also, I meant to mention this in chapter 1, but Lord Ragnvaldr is seen in one of the missing scenes from _Thor_ (which I highly recommend!). He is the man giving Loki Gungnir when he becomes king, with the bald patch and long white hair.
> 
> * * *
> 
> **Old Norse :**
> 
> _Valhöll_ \- Valhalla, "hall of the slain"  
>  _myrkálfar_ \- "dark elves" (or "dusky elves" & "murky elves") - myrkálfr is the singular.  
>  _seiðr_ \- witchcraft, sorcery / a type of sorcery practiced in Norse society during the Late Scandinavian Iron Age - i.e. magic  
>  _seiðberandi_ \- sorcerers  
>  _Hliðskjálf_ \- the high seat of Óðinn allowing him to see into all realms - i.e. Óðinn's throne  
>  _seiðkona_ \- a combination of seiðr (“witchcraft”) + kona (“woman”) - i.e. witch/sorceress/mage
> 
> * * *
> 
> Up next week: Heimdallr's first appearance, along with a new character we will see a few times.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all of the wonderful comments & kudos, they're greatly appreciated!
> 
> Anyway, here's the next chapter, with the start of several interactions/story lines.

Loki had no idea how long the connection with Ásgarðr took to forge, but it felt like an eternity and no time, all at once. There was power, knowledge and that strange childlike sentience, melding with his own seiðr in a way which gave him full access to what most considered the Óðinnforce, and yet kept him and Ásgarðr as two distinctly different beings. The latter was a great relief as Loki had no desire to merge with anyone or anything else, nor did he want to consider what that might have done once Óðinn awoke. As 'twas, he was not entirely certain what would happen with his connection to Ásgarðr when he had to give up Gungnir.

The King's Staff, though vital for the connection to form, was wholly separate from it. Thus, without it, Loki would not lose his connection to Ásgarðr, but he doubted he would be allowed to maintain it either when he was no longer king. He had tried asking Ásgarðr herself, but all he received was a possessive denial that reminded him more of a child refusing to give up a favorite toy than anything else, which was not truly helpful even if it flattered his battered ego nicely.

After the initial overwhelming sensation and rush of power which had flooded his entire being when Ásgarðr had all but pounced on him, Loki had discovered to his immense relief that the connection had settled into a comfortable hum at the back of his mind, in a corner normally left empty. If anything, it filled a void which had always been there instead of feeling intrusive or crowding, as he had feared it might given the stunning amounts of power it brought with it.

Despite having felt Loptr's unbelievable increase in magical power, Loki was still left stunned at the sheer amount of raw seiðr which now resided in his core and swirled all around him, just awaiting his command to bend to his will. As he had hoped, Ásgarðr had further helped to stabilize his fracturing core, but unfortunately it had not done anything to mend the damaged and snapped sections. Those were left as raw and wounded as before, keeping him weaker than he would otherwise be and paining him as greatly as ever. Those injuries aside, though, his core was a sight to behold at present with strands of iridescent purple, varying from paler lilac and lavender all the way to deep plum and wine, threaded through his own emerald green-gold and icy blue-teal green colors.

The winter theme of the resulting display made Loki briefly uncomfortable, but Ásgarðr's lack of reaction to it when they had connected soothed him on a deep level. If she had no issue with him being a frost giant despite sitting on her throne, then perhaps 'twas not as big of an issue as he had feared.

An image flashed across Loki's mind of his father, then it shifted and changed, becoming younger and younger. It kept going until he was left looking at a little boy. Involuntarily Loki's lips twitched as he looked at the young Óðinn. He would never admit it aloud, but the All-Father had been an adorable child. He was starting to wonder why Ásgarðr was showing him this when something caught Óðinn's attention and the boy turned, a huge smile lighting up his face. In an instant the boy was on his feet, running straight into the arms of... a frost giant.

Loki could only stare in shock as his adoptive father was scooped up by a large blue skinned woman who swung Óðinn around before embracing him tightly to her oversized bosom. What was this? _Who_ was this?

The scene faded away only to be replaced by others of the same frost giant (though at times her chest seemed oddly flat); ones of her walking through Ásgarðr, standing beside either a young Óðinn or Borr. 'Twas with those final images and scenes that Loki finally realized who it was that Ásgarðr was showing him. Bestla, wife of Borr, mother of Óðinn and Queen of Ásgarðr.

Bestla, a frost giant?

The revelation was staggering and sent Loki reeling for several moments. How had he not known this? How was this not common knowledge? Was it because of the war? Had that altered so much of what people thought and felt?

Was it possible that, before the war, frost giants had not been deemed the monsters they were now?

Loki found himself incredibly intrigued by the mere thought, having always been interested in the differences between what _was_ and how things were perceived. To think something like a single (if bloody) war could completely have changed how the æsir viewed the frost giants was fascinating from a psychological perspective, even if it angered him to realize if he had been fostered earlier that he might never have learned to hate himself as he had. Or that he would not have been left in the dark about the fact that Óðinn himself was half-frost giant.

The information did go part of the way towards explaining why Óðinn might have felt compelled to take him when the All-Father had first found him on Jötunheimr, Loki realized. It also made him wonder if his father even knew how completely Bestla's identity had been erased from history, as Óðinn had seemed almost genuinely surprised at some of what he had said during their confrontation in the vault. At least so it seemed, now he thought about it some more.

The consideration clearly pleased Ásgarðr given Loki felt warm and content feelings emanating from their bond. He focused on those for a moment, letting himself view their connection, probing it with his new powers, pleased with how it bent and flexed at his touch rather than being a rigid and thus brittle. It would be a difficult connection for anyone to break without their consent.

Slowly Loki allowed himself to return back to him body, allowing his seiðr to flow freely all around him to fill his bedchamber as it reached out, playful and curious, seeking to reacquaint himself with his surroundings now he had changed on such a fundamental level. 'Twas more unrestrained than he normally felt comfortable with but, between his own increase in power, Óðinn's rest and Ásgarðr's added watchfulness, he was less vulnerable than normal to magical threats. But not completely wise to them, as he was immediately reminded as soon as he had returned enough focus on his surroundings to feel Heimdallr's gaze on him once more.

Without thinking about it, Loki turned his head and opened his eyes to meet the gatekeeper's gaze head on, despite the distance and objects between them. 'Twas almost like watching an electric shock go through Heimdallr, to see the gatekeeper realize Loki could, in fact, see him as well. Their eyes caught and held for an eternal moment, green on gold, challenging, before Heimdallr obediently lowered his eyes whispering a 'My King' in his direction.

Loki frowned slightly, noticing all too well how 'twas a far cry from the show of fealty he had received earlier from the others upon accepting Gungnir. Loptr was right, he could not trust Heimdallr, but the gatekeeper still had a role to play. And a noose to tighten around his own neck.

"I have more than enough Einherjar watching over me, Gatekeeper," Loki muttered, never removing his gaze from Heimdallr. "Your attentions are best directed elsewhere."

"I was only checking on your safety, Your Majesty," Heimdallr responded with another dip of his head. "But I was not neglecting my other charges."

Loki merely hummed instead of replying, allowing Heimdallr to read into it what he chose to. Given he already knew of the gatekeeper's treacherous nature, he wanted to be able to remove him from his post sooner rather than later, though it did leave him with the dilemma of what to do with the Bifröst and those Ásgarðrians currently elsewhere in the Nine. Who would know of their wish to return and open the bridge accordingly? Surely there had to be a solution to the problem as Ásgarðr's entire mode of interdimensional travel could not depend upon one man. Or at least the mode of transport for those not able to navigate the branches of Yggdrasill.

The response did please Loki, however, in that it told him Heimdallr was not aware he had been able to detect the gatekeeper's gaze before now. So when he did lose his connection to Ásgarðr, he could use that to his advantage should Óðinn decide to reinstate Heimdallr. Hopefully his father would not though, as this was not the first instance of the gatekeeper's inability to do his job. They would never have been able to travel to Jötunheimr otherwise.

Once he was certain Heimdallr's gaze was indeed elsewhere, Loki rose to his feet and entered his closet. Scanning the clothes he had, he looked for something regal enough to replace his coronation outfit. After a few days, he could perhaps go back to it and break its association with Thor's failed ceremony, but for now he needed something else. He smiled as his eyes fell on a set of highly elaborate robes which had been commissioned for the anniversary celebration of the Ásgarðr-Vanaheimr peace treaty he had attended with his mother as Ásgarðr's representatives a few years back.

Though not quite as decorative as his coronation outfit, 'twas highly elaborate consisting of green robes, black leather highlights and gold areas, though less of the latter, the pieces being more ceremonial than functional and expertly engraved with a mixture of the official Ásgarðrian seals and sigils, as well as some of his own more personal ones. Those highlights continued on his robes and leather themselves, only there they were done in gold and black thread or green tinted inking engraved within the leather. The cape of this particular outfit had always been one of his favorites, having been a gift from his mother's seiðkonur teachers on Vanaheimr in advance of his visit.

The cloth had been heavily bespelled with a mixture of protective and cosmetic spells and charms, before being tailored for him. They had left the cape in a fluctuating state between green, gold and black; its color shifting and adapting depending on his surroundings and the circumstances. It, too, had been heavily embroidered with the glyphs and seals of Ásgarðr's royal family, in addition to some of his own more known designs. The use of black, green and gold thread, though, meant that some of them seemed to appear and disappear depending on what color his cape happened to be, in any one instance.

With a thought, Loki was dressed and he only glanced briefly at the mirror to make certain the outfit looked as expected with his new hair length. Then he turned back to his bedchamber and made for the dining chamber, his stomach once again reminding him of how long it had been since he had last eaten.

Loki was surprised to find the meal was still being laid out for him as he entered the chamber. Though it had felt like a long time, clearly bonding with Ásgarðr had been a fairly quick affair.

"My Pri- eh, King," Livunn greeting, curtsying hastily.

"It has been a long day and 'tis not over yet, Livunn," Loki said, waving off her dismay at the mistake. "Please simply continue on as normal within these chambers."

"Of course... Loki," Livunn replied with a hasty glance at the two Einherjar, whom had clearly followed her into the chamber.

"What do we have?" Loki asked as he sat down.

"It appears the kitchens happened to have some of your favorites tonight."

The look Livunn shot him told Loki she was not fooled any more than he was. This had been specially prepared after the head cook on duty had heard of his ascension to Hliðskjálf. It also made him revise his estimate of precisely how long he had been meditating, as this meal would have taken longer to prepare.

"Shall I draw up a bath afterwards?" Livunn inquired as she placed the last of the dishes on the table before him.

"Nay, that will not be necessary," Loki replied. "I will not be turning in anytime soon."

"Rest is important, my Liege."

Loki smiled at the response. 'Twas one of the reasons why he had always liked Livunn and had requested she be assigned to him. She had always been honest with him while still remaining respectful in cases where she disagreed with him. He had also never felt like any of her concern was faked, unlike that which he had received from some of the other servants who worked in Iðavöllr. Plus she was comfortable with his use of seiðr, having spent part of her childhood on Vanaheimr when her father had been assigned there to help cover his mother's frequent visits to her brother ruling there.

"As are other things," Loki replied lightly as he began eating.

If he had needed any further proof the food had been specially prepared for him, Loki found it immediately in the lack of helam spice, so loved by many æsir.

"Shall I have some of your items moved to the king's study then?" Livunn asked.

"Hmm, please."

'Twas something he had not even considered, but Loki was definitely utilizing the study. Not only would it help to solidify his position, but 'twas adjacent to the king's library which he definitely planned to use.

"So what are the rumors currently circulating around Iðavöllr?" Loki asked.

"I do not know why you always think I am aware of all of the latest gossip, Loki."

The sass made him smile once more. "Because you love knowing what is going on."

"Aye," Livunn admitted, though her face was concerned; hesitant. "'Tis not very pretty."

"I would not believe you if you said it was."

"There are a few different rumors right now, as word of your... coronation is still spreading."

"Let us start with those unrelated to that then."

"Very well, most of those concern what happened during the public coronation or to Prince Thor. They range from saying a small group of frost giants broke into the vault and were defeated by the Destroyer, to saying a battalion of frost giants appeared but were fended off by a group of Einherjar bravely defending Iðavöllr and Ásgarðr's honor."

Loki merely snorted, well able to imagine how the number of frost giants had been inflated so drastically. Æsir were nothing if not predictable in their desire for honor, especially in battle. That there was nothing honorable in some of their tactics or embellishments of the truth afterwards never seemed to occur to them.

"And of my brother?"

Livunn winced. "Those rumors take a darker turn. That he went to Jötunheimr with yourself, Lady Sif and the Warriors Three is common to all, as is the fact you attempted to stop him."

_That_ Loki was rather surprised with, actually. Generally his role in events either seemed to be forgotten or distorted. He wondered why that did not seem to have happened here.

"From that point on, however, things start to deviate depending on the rumor," Livunn continued. "In some, you are assigned noble intentions, seeking to prevent the breaking of the peace treaty with Jötunheimr. In others, though..."

"I am seeking to disparage my brother's honor in a blind quest for Hliðskjálf?" Loki offered, quite familiar with this particular twist of some rumors.

"Ah, aye. There are some variations in-between."

"And what of the events on Jötunheimr themselves?"

"In some, 'tis said there was a glorious battle in which Ásgarðr's honor has been restored."

"Of course. And in the others?"

"Most are variations on some sort of confrontation and battle, generally with a poor outcome as Lady Sif and the Warriors Three were seen heading for the healing halls and King Óðinn was witnessed being quite angry."

The sudden interest of the two Einherjar in his response was quite clear to Loki, though he was pretty certain it passed Livunn by, even as observant as she was. Given that nothing being said was confidential, he did not dismiss them, but he made a mental note to remember to do so if he did wish something kept completely confidential. That some of the Einherjar spoke a bit too freely was already evident in the details of the rumors Livunn had relayed.

"Not too far off," Loki stated simply. "And Thor's punishment?"

"Details are hazy at best," Livunn replied. "But most agree King Óðinn banished him for his actions."

"True, but he has a chance to redeem himself," Loki told her, knowing 'twas best if the truth of his brother's sentence was known.

'Twas not his intention to retain Hliðskjálf, and Loki had no desire to deal with the theories which would flourish and spread when the news of his regency became known. For most, the truth would make no difference as they were too used to thinking ill of him, but it would influence some and he needed all the aid he could obtain at present.

"Oh, good," Livunn said. "May I enquire where he has been banished to?"

"Miðgarðr," Loki replied. "As a mortal."

Livunn's eyes grew wide at that and Loki had to be careful not to choke as he thought of what Thor was going through right now. His brother had always relied on his superior strength and position as prince of Ásgarðr when interacting with people from the rest of the Nine, and now he had neither.

Without truly meaning to, Loki found he had reached out with his newly enhanced reach towards his brother. Ásgarðr responded eagerly and the next thing he knew, he could see Thor on Miðgarðr as easily as he could look through a scrying mirror. Thor appeared to be in the company of several mortals, though 'twas clear they were rather unsure of him and his behavior. The broken shards on the floor would imply his brother had smashed yet another goblet of some sort.

"Loki, my Liege, are you alright?" Livunn asked worriedly.

Loki blinked. "Aye, I was merely checking in on Thor to ensure he is not in danger."

"Oh, is the prince alright?"

"It would appear my brother has fallen afoul of some mortal customs and upset them."

"Oh, I..."

This time Loki allowed her to trail off uncomfortably. For once it seemed like Thor was not only going to be appropriately punished for his actions, but have it be publicly recognized as well, neither of which was a bad thing as far as he was concerned. In fact, 'twas long overdue. It would also do both Thor and Ásgarðr a lot of good in the long run as well.

"And what word of me?" Loki inquired after a few moments.

"Those rumors are far more vague at present," Livunn told him. "The news is newer. There are some murmurs of a power grab, but with the sheer number of witnesses present, most know Lord Ragnvaldr and Queen Frigga passed you Gungnir in accordance with Ásgarðrian succession laws, and thus they accept you are the rightful king."

"Good. Let me know if any rumors to the contrary start to take hold."

"Of course."

His hunger finally satisfied, Loki rose to his feet and took hold of Gungnir once more, the feeling still surreal as if he would wake up to find this had all been a dreadful nightmare.

While Livunn's words on his right to rule were not optimal, she was correct in that there had been sufficient witnesses present to ensure the truth of the moment made it out. In fact, Loki would not have put it past Lord Ragnvaldr to have arranged the moment precisely as it had been done for exactly that purpose. He may not always have gotten along with his father's chief advisor, but he had always respected the man's integrity and devotion to Hliðskjálf. If nothing else, he could rely on Lord Ragnvaldr to ensure everything they did was done correctly and according to Ásgarðrian laws.

Towards that end, the man would be an invaluable ally in navigating the Jötunheimr mess.

"Will there be anything else, Loki?" Livunn inquired as she began clearing the table.

"Please notify Lady Borgunna I will need to speak with her tomorrow morning after the High Council meeting."

"Of course."

With that Loki left his chambers, finding the rest of the Einherjar waiting for him outside.

"Where to, Your Majesty?" Lieutenant-General Yngvarr questioned as they fell into formation around him.

"The library," Loki replied, seeing none of the men were the same as before except for the lieutenant-general.

He would have to refresh himself on the shift changes of the king's official guards at some point, when he had a moment.

Amusement shot through Loki at the thought. _When he had a moment._ 'Twas almost like wishing for more respect. Not only had he been busy constantly for over fifteen hours now with no end in sight, but he now also had an impressive list of enemies to suss out and eventually confront as well, thanks to Loptr. He could only be thankful he was not feeling tired yet as all of the alertness spells he knew were limited in both scope and duration, thus the longer he could go without needing to resort to them, the better.

Though 'twas now well past midnight, Loki had no doubt of finding Lady Dagrún in the library. For all that the woman was supposed to be responsible for interfacing between the people who visited the library and the books and other resources it possessed, Loki had rarely ever met anyone who seemed to like dealing with people less. Well, unless you were someone who loved and respected knowledge and the pursuit thereof as much as Lady Dagrún herself, in that case the woman became wonderful to work with and Loki had oft used her to aid him with his own studies and research.

The late hour meant Iðavöllr's corridors were deserted, so they were quickly at the library, much to Loki's relief. After a lifetime of wandering the corridors as unobtrusively as possible unless he wanted to be noticed, doing so with an escort of Einherjar actually left him feeling _more_ vulnerable as he stood out. Almost glaringly so.

At first glance the library appeared deserted, so Loki immediately moved deeper into the stacks, towards the study area set aside for those who wished to peruse the library's tomes here.

Lady Dagrún was exactly where Loki had expected to find her and he watched as the librarian became aware of the first Einherjar to enter the study space, Lady Dagrún's eyes flickering from them to Loki and then to Gungnir held firmly in his hand. That the librarian had not yet heard of what had happened was evident by how wide her eyes grew before Lady Dagrún stepped forward, raised her right fist to her heart and bowed deeply.

"Your Majesty," Lady Dagrún greeted. "How may I be of service?"

"I require any and all materials we have on Jötunheimr, the war and, most particularly, the treaty formed at the end of it," Loki ordered, noticing the wariness creep into Lady Dagrún's eyes, so perhaps some rumors had reached her after all. "Send them to my new study in the first instance, but keep them together after I send them back, so the information is already collated should the other members of the High Council require access to it."

"I will see to it at once and send the first set of books over as quickly as possible."

"Also let me know which one you would recommend as a standard."

The beauty of working with someone who knew him well, was that he did not need to spell out precisely what it was he required. With what he had just said, Lady Dagrún would know he wanted something of Jötunheimr that assumed no prior knowledge and explained everything from that starting point. Lady Dagrún had been the one to teach him that preconceptions could be far more dangerous than pure ignorance, and to always go back to the beginning if in doubt.

"It would be my pleasure, Your Majesty."

"If you should find anything else on Jötunheimr or frost giants later, once you have sent everything else, do send it over as a priority rather than waiting until later."

"Of course," Lady Dagrún said, glancing at the Einherjar spread out around them before stepping closer and lowering her voice. "If I may, my Liege?"

"Aye," Loki replied, voice lowered to match.

"Frost giant is viewed as a speciest slur. They call themselves jötunn, or jötnar for plural. They have always been sensitive about it."

Loki blinked and quickly thought back to his talk with Loptr, and noticed his temporal twin had indeed always used jötunn and jötnar rather than frost giant. He had not even noticed, viewing them as interchangeable. A dangerous mistake to make in so volatile a situation as this.

"My thanks, Librarian," Loki said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know this is a bit of a shorter chapter, but that was the best place to end the chapter (I wrote this as one long story and only afterwards went back and broke it into chapters). The next 2 chapters will be longer than any of the first 4, so hopefully that will compensate for it.
> 
> Regarding both Livunn and Lady Dagrún, both will be back - though the former far more than the latter. I hope you like them as there aren't a great deal of female characters to play with, unfortunately, given how male dominated Ásgarðr was in the movies. Therefore I've added my own where I can and played with mythology a little. Which Marvel did start, to be fair, with Laufey!
> 
> * * *
> 
> **Original Characters' Names :**
> 
> _Livunn_ \- made up of Hlíf ('protection', 'cover') and Unna ('to love', 'to grant, bestow') - take from that what you will :)  
>  _Dagrún_ \- made up of Dagr ('day', 'time') and Rún ('secret', 'secret lore', 'secret knowledge', 'magic') - another literal name, can you see a pattern here?
> 
> * * *
> 
> **Old Norse :**
> 
> _seiðr_ \- witchcraft, sorcery / a type of sorcery practiced in Norse society during the Late Scandinavian Iron Age - i.e. magic  
>  _seiðkonur_ \- a combination of seiðr (“witchcraft”) + konur (“women”) - i.e. witches/sorceresses/mages  
>  _Hliðskjálf_ \- the high seat of Óðinn allowing him to see into all realms - i.e. Óðinn's throne  
>  _Iðavöllr_ \- a meeting place of the gods - my name for the palace
> 
> * * *
> 
> Up next week: Loki finally gains access to the king's study... and its library. What could he possible want _that_ for? [end sarcasm]


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another week, another chapter!
> 
> Thanks for the continued comments & kudos, they're much appreciated!

Entering the king's study in and of itself was nothing new for Loki, as he did it fairly often either to speak with his fat- Óðinn himself, or to take part in a smaller meeting or discussion being held here rather than Glaðsheimr. But entering it as the king to whom the study belonged (at least temporarily), was an entirely new experience and not one that Loki had ever expected to have. Everything looked either brighter or darker, depending on what kind of feelings he associated with it.

One of the first things Loki noticed was the familiar tea set on the cabinet behind the massive golden desk which dominated the chamber. 'Twas his personal one from his own private study, along with his elaborately decorated box of tea leaves and other botanicals he had collected on his travels around the Nine. Livunn knew him very well and, as always, had gone out of her way to serve him. He would have to remember to reward her for it later.

"Is there anything else which you require, Your Majesty?" Lieutenant-General Yngvarr asked, having remained when the others left the chamber after checking it.

"Not for now," Loki replied.

"Then we shall be right outside, my Liege."

With that, the guard left and Loki took a moment to simply enjoy the solitude. Then he moved to the center of the study and set Gungnir gently on the floor before he reached out to Ásgarðr.

"Where is the entrance to the king's library?" Loki questioned.

Either out of sheer habit, or because he feared Loki finding a way in if he knew where to begin, Óðinn had never once opened the door to the king's library while his youngest was in the chamber. Though Loki could almost understand it from one perspective (he _would_ have made at least one attempt to enter it if he had known where to start), from another 'twas recklessly stupid and shortsighted. If he had not had Ásgarðr to hopefully guide him to it, he would have been cut off from all of the knowledge and information it contained on the war he was trying to prevent!

Instead of receiving a visual of the door's location, Loki saw a map appear in the air before him. It slowly marked out the study he was in and the surrounding area before new and unfamiliar lines appeared in a different color. It took him a few moments to understand it, but he smiled with delight when he got it. Of course, keeping books and parchments in a regular chamber would necessitate someone to look after and maintain them, to prevent age related decay as well as cleaning. By placing the whole library in a special pocket dimension, however, all of that was overcome. The books would remain unaffected by the passage of time, and the chamber would require no cleaning. It also meant the library was accessible from anywhere on Ásgarðr if he was reading the wards correctly.

'Twas clever, very clever and Loki could not help but admire the spell work which had gone into it. Not only were the wards ingenious, but elegantly executed as well, and he could not help but wonder who had cast them as they definitely did not possess Óðinn's particular touch. Borr or Búri perhaps? Or had they brought in someone else just to create the library? Its importance would have warranted obtaining outside help, after all, and there were plenty of ways to swear someone to silence afterwards. It also explained how his father had always seemed to be able to find answers no matter where on Ásgarðr Óðinn was. 'Twas something Loki had wondered about more than once, especially when Óðinn had seemed stumped at first.

Loki moved to sit on one of the study's sofas before reaching out with his seiðr. Ásgarðr met him halfway and guided him to where he needed to be. He felt a slight shock as he connected with the library's wards, its seiðr sliding over his own to Ásgarðr and Gungnir alike before something _shifted_ and Loki could suddenly sense the pocket dimension as easily as he could his own, though it felt distinctly different. A thrill of delight ran through him as he realized precisely how large it was and the sheer number of books and manuscripts it contained. All he wanted to do was curl up in his chambers, on his favorite sofa, before the open fire and explore the entire library, looking at each and every one of the books and manuscripts. He would gladly have spent the next few decades doing so, slowly absorbing all of the new knowledge, but alas he knew he could not.

There was a knock on the door and Loki dispelled the portal before him with a wave of his hand.

"Enter," he intoned.

"Your Majesty," a servant said as he entered. "We have some books from Lady Dagrún."

"Leave them on the desk," Loki ordered, not realizing he had not said 'my desk' until after he had spoken.

Even though it temporarily _was_ his desk, Loki found he could not quite bring himself to think of it thus. Nay, 'twas far too closely linked with his father in his mind for him to be able to do so.

As soon as the servants were gone, Loki reached out to the library once more and mentally focused on Jötunheimr and the jötnar. Immediately, books started coming to him and he placed them on the sofa beside him as they did so. Among them was a heavily spelled, rolled-up parchment which he opened to find the actual treaty between Ásgarðr and Jötunheimr, signed by his two fathers. Next came a heavy tome which made him pause and suck in a deep breath. 'Twas a book on jötunn seiðr and he knew that this must have been what Loptr had used to contact him. With a twist of his own seiðr, he broke the tome's connection with the king's library and secreted it away in his own pocket dimension. 'Twas one book he definitely did not want to lose access to once Óðinn awoke. Not only had it been so vital in making events turn out fortunately for him, but 'twas all about his true birthright and no one, not even the All-Father, had the right to keep that from him.

Then he had everything and Loki suddenly felt weary simply looking at the large collection of books, both on his new sofa and desk. How was he ever supposed to go through all of them _and_ prevent the war with Jötunheimr from progressing? He could not hold off on addressing the matter until he had done all of his research, much as he might want to. Nay, Laufey had already declared war and who knew what his birth father might be up to?

The thought made Loki blink and he reached out for Gungnir, taking it in his hand. It was said Óðinn could see all of the Nine Realms from Hliðskjálf. Was it truly Hliðskjálf, or was it Ásgarðr which granted him that ability? When he reached out, Loki found that Gungnir was not pushing him towards Ásgarðr, but rather Hliðskjálf, though when he connected with it, she gave way and suddenly Loki could _see_ Jötunheimr, much as he had seen Thor earlier when he had checked on his brother. Then there was a damaged but still somehow splendid castle before he was inside what appeared to be a Council chamber of sorts, with Laufey sitting at the head of a large table, not entirely dissimilar to the High Council table in Glaðsheimr. The similarities unnerved Loki but he ignored them for now.

Instead he focused in on the chamber and the jötnar themselves. There were fifteen that he could see, all male, and all seated at the oblong table that seemed to be made from darkened ice of some kind. 'Twas odd, but not truly important at the moment, though Loki noted it for future reference. The jötnar looked similar to those that he had seen on Jötunheimr. He did note that the two jötnar sitting on either side of Laufey seemed younger than the rest, and his heart skipped a beat as it suddenly occurred to him that he could actually have additional siblings. True brothers in the sense that most people meant when they used the word.

That...

The thought brought with it emotions Loki was not ready to face right now and so he brushed them aside. The exact composition of his blood family tree was irrelevant at present. What he needed to do was focus on the matter at hand; namely the war. What he was seeing just now could be anything from a war council, to a simple session called to deal with the damage Thor had caused when the oaf had swung Mjǫlnir around in his tantrum, smashing everything in sight. That there was vehement disagreement was obvious at a glance, as the jötnar looked to be all but shouting, one or two rising up out of their seats and thumping the table to emphasize their points.

Loki scowled as he watched them, wishing he knew the jötunn language enough to be able to read their lips. 'Twas the greatest weakness of Hliðskjálf, that while it could show Óðinn, or clearly any king, all of the Realms, it did not also allow them to _hear_ them as well. Nay, instead they were left with simply this, a silent pantomime of what was taking place. So were they disagreeing about the war that Laufey had declared, or were they arguing about the best way to go about it? Watching for a little longer showed that the two younger jötnar, who were probably Laufey's sons and heirs, did not seem to be agreeing with their father as one shook his head when Laufey finally spoke and the other looked down with a scowl on his ridged face.

With an effort, Loki forced himself to break the connection and return his gaze to the study. Óðinn had once told both him and Thor that the king had to be careful with this particular ability, as it would be easy to remain in Valaskjálf seated upon Hliðskjálf forever otherwise, as there was always something going on within the Realms which was worthy of observation. Loki had not fully understood the warning at the time, but now he did. While in theory watching the enemy was a good idea, he could waste a lot of time doing so without actually learning anything of value if all he could do was guess at what was being said and done. Besides, he knew Heimdallr would be watching Jötunheimr and, while he could not personally trust the gatekeeper, he was certain of the man's loyalty towards Ásgarðr. Heimdallr would not allow the preparation or advance of a jötnar army go unreported.

A flick of his hand and seiðr was all it took for Loki to move all of the books, manuscripts and scrolls he had retrieved from the library to the desk. He then rose to his feet, feeling the first faint traces of fatigue as he did so. While he normally loved research and learning, the knowledge of _why_ he was settling in to do so now, as well as _where_ he was doing it, sapped him of his usual enjoyment for the task. Simply the mere presence of the Einherjar outside the door was enough to serve as an abrupt reminder of his new and unwanted position. Normally he would be able to dismiss most of them, but with them officially at war, the security around the king had been tightened, especially in lieu of the recent jötnar incursion of the vault.

Loki laughed without humor at that. If 'twas not irony, then he did not know what was. 'Twas not the first time a trick had backfired to adversely affect him, but this one had already done so far more seriously than any other had done in centuries. Not since his misadventure on Niðavellir while on the cusp of his minor majority which had led to his lips being sewn shut before his father and brother had been able to intervene and rescue him. He still shuddered at the mere thought and quickly banished the memories to the back of his mind where they belonged.

As much to distract himself as to commence on his tasks, Loki seated himself at the desk, only to pause as he felt a moment of confusion. Seeing the chamber from this angle was almost disconcerting as it had not happened in centuries, not since Óðinn had last taken him onto his lap when he had come to see his father here for some reason or another. But that was long ago and, ever since, he had either sat or stood before the desk. He allowed himself a moment to absorb the change of perspective before he pulled a loose sheet of parchment before him and he started to write out a list of things he had to do. Not only did it help to clear his mind, but he knew he would also be better able to make clear, rational decisions if he had time to reflect on them before he acted.

_Think, Thor, think!_

The words that he had uttered so oft over the centuries came back to Loki and he clenched his teeth, but forced himself to acknowledge that he truly deserved to hear them now, after all he had come so close to doing thoughtlessly.

It took a while, but at the end Loki felt quite satisfied with himself as he had a plan of action as well as a list of things he absolutely knew he had to look into prior to the High Council meeting in a few hours. Luckily, with the first set of books from the library, Loki would be able to start rectifying his appalling lack of knowledge right away.

As Lady Dagrún had promised, one of the books was marked with a set of colored ribbons about halfway through, making Loki smile. 'Twas such an innocuous way of flagging the book from the others, but that had always been Dagrún's point. Ignorance or inaccurate knowledge could cause far more damage than almost anything else, so the librarian had drilled into him the value of a good source book on any topic, to be used as a guide and reference during other, deeper research into the topic. Only, since Dagrún was as loath to mark up a book or manuscript as Loki was, the woman had taken to using colored ribbons to easily mark pages within a book for future reference.

Pulling that book closer to himself, Loki froze as he caught sight of the author; Bestla Bölþorndóttir. His, or rather Thor's, grandmother. Thor's _jötunn_ grandmother. The realization that Óðinn was half jötunn and Thor a quarter hit Loki all at once. Aye, he had known what it meant for Bestla to be jötunn when Ásgarðr had first shown him that particular truth, but somehow it had not really _hit_ him what that meant. Or implied.

One of the greatest and most respected men in the Nine Realms, the very representative of Ásgarðr, was half-jötunn. That definitely put a whole new perspective on things. Especially if one took into account the fact that Frigga was vanir, meaning that Thor, the golden crown prince and pride and glory of Ásgarðr, was only a quarter æsir.

The thought on top of everything else was too much for Loki and he started to laugh. Oh, if only people knew that fact! What would they say? The mere thought of the look on not only his brother's face, but that of Lady Sif and the Warriors Three, was too much and he leaned back, simply letting it all out.

The mirth did not last long, though, not once Loki thought about _why_ 'twas not all more known. Or exactly how much less prejudice and malice there would be (not to mention how much less _arrogance_!), if only the truth were more widely known. It would hardly hurt Óðinn for it to be more widely known, as both he and Borr had survived the knowledge being public before. He could only hope it had not been a deliberate erasure of facts as Loki feared that it probably had been. 'Twas possible, though, it had been more of a slow creeping change which developed over the course of a few centuries, as relations between the two Realms had broken down before the war, which had no doubt accelerated things. Not that this excused Óðinn's actions, or lack thereof.

This type of vilification had not happened with the vanir after the Æsir-Vanir War, which had preceded the one with Jötunheimr by a few millennia.

Loki paused at the thought. Why was that anyway? Aye, the war with Vanaheimr had been shorter than the one with Jötunheimr, but not by much and it had been about as bloody because, while it had all taken place on the same planet, the vanir had possessed home territory advantages of which they had made full use. They had also been far more aware of æsir battle strategies than the jötnar had been, so their usual tactics had been utterly useless. It had been quite the dilemma from what he had read. 'Twas part of why he had never been a big proponent of becoming overly reliant on any one strategy (even if he simply could not resist using the same one over and over again on Thor, simply to see how oft the big oaf would fall for the same ploy) or mode of fighting. It meant he had been mocked for his flightiness by his brother and Thor's friends, and scolded for his apparent lack of discipline by his warrior tutors, but it had also saved his life on more than one occasion when his versatility had allowed him to completely switch tactics midbattle with several opponents.

So if it had not been the length of the war, nor the number of casualties which had resulted in the distinct difference in animosity between the æsir and the vanir versus the jötnar, then what was?

With a thought, Loki had opened the king's library again and requested the treaty Borr had signed with Frigga's father, Njörðr. The thought of his mother froze Loki in place for a moment as a new thought occurred to him. Perhaps he should not really have been surprised Óðinn had thought to take him for political reasons once Borrson had identified him as being Laufeyson. After all, it had been the exact same thinking which had gone into arranging his own parents' marriage. Borr had known that Njörðr was at the end of his reign, and that Frigga and Freyr had been close. So by taking her as a new bride for his son and heir, he was ensuring the vanir did not rise up against Ásgarðr once more.

The, then, princess Frigga had been quite popular based on what he had read. Not that it surprised Loki in the least, not knowing his mother and both her cunning and political acumen.

Surprisingly, much as the original discovery of the beginnings of his parents' relationship had outraged and infuriated Loki, it now almost comforted and soothed him. Aye, he still found it a distasteful tactic even if his mother had no longer been a child, but he of all people knew of how genuine the love and affection between them was. Which meant that perhaps Óðinn _had not_ been lying when he had repeatedly claimed him as his son down in the vault. The mere possibility made Loki close his eyes as impossible hope flared, bright and hot, deep within him. But even so, he tried to steel himself as he knew only all too well how ephemeral and fragile hope could be, not to mention how utterly devastating if proven illusionary or fallible.

Aye, now the thought had occurred to him, Loki could not help but hope and it irked, even as it comforted him. Damnable emotion. He truly needed to have his core fixed so his seiðr and emotions evened themselves out. But that was for later, after he had prevented any further escalation of the war with Jötunheimr.

Loki grabbed a piece of parchment and opened the Ásgarðr-Vanaheimr Treaty, scribbling notes as he went of his first impressions. Well, at least his first impressions now, as he had looked it over once before, as an adolescent when his politics tutor had utilized it as an example of a good treaty. Looking at it now, he could not help but see how heavily it favored Ásgarðr, which made sense in that they had been the victors, but it did beg the question as to how it had not led to an escalation of ill will between the two Realms. Well, other than for people like Uncle Freyr, who had never been particularly well disposed towards Óðinn.

The thought that Freyr was not his real uncle pained Loki a surprising amount because, unlike Thor, he had always gotten along quite well with his prickly uncle. The fact Freyr had always favored him over his brother definitely helped, but 'twas far more than that. Just like with Frigga, he felt _connected_ to Freyr, feeling a far keener sense of kinship with him than he had felt for Óðinn in centuries. To the point where both he and Thor had always figured Loki had simply taken more after Mother's side of the family, while Thor took more after Father's. How wrong they had both been. The only questions now were, had Uncle Freyr known the truth, and would it matter if he had not? Loki did not want to think of the man turning his back on him, but neither was he naïve enough to think that 'twas not a distinct possibility.

Who would want to voluntarily claim a jötunn after all?

To distract himself, Loki unrolled the treaty with Jötunheimr on the other side of him, so he could view and study both treaties at once.

The first thing which leapt out at Loki was how much shorter the Jötnar Treaty was. Whereas the Vanir Treaty covered everything from governance to trade and commerce, the Jötnar Treaty was essentially an admission of defeat on the part of the jötnar on behalf of Laufey-King, a listing of the punishment in the form of the loss of the Casket of Ancient Winters and with it the ability of the jötnar to leave Jötunheimr, as well as a listing of promises on both sides of what not to do in order to prevent a renewed outbreak of war. Altogether it truly was little more than a way for Óðinn to make his victory complete and force Laufey to acknowledge it in one final, humiliating, way. Loki could not help but wonder if Óðinn had not felt the need to add his own acquisition on the list, as it would have been simple enough to do. Frigga's engagement to Óðinn had been written into the Vanir Treat after all, so it would not have been the first time that a member of the royal family from the losing side had been taken as part of a peace treaty and become a form of either hostage or insurance. Though he supposed it lost all of its value if the hostage was unwanted to begin with.

The thought sent another flare of agony through him and Loki closed his eyes briefly, even as he clenched his teeth. He really should not let it bother him so much what Laufey and his birth mother had thought of him, as 'twas not like he cared for them anyway. Still, the thought of them having been either disgusted or _disappointed_ enough in him to leave him out in the cold to die... he could not lie to himself, it tore through him, hitting him right where he was already most vulnerable.

Not wanting to deal with it, Loki opened his eyes and focused on the treaty once more. So, admission of defeat, cost of defeat and list of actions which could restart hostilities between the two Realms. Nothing on providing aid for the jötnar to rebuild like with the vanir. Nothing on establishing trade or commerce routes to help Jötunheimr reintegrate with the rest of the Nine. In fact, one of the conditions which could reignite the war was for any jötnar to leave Jötunheimr. Not that Loki could see how they would be able to achieve it given they had lost access to the Casket. Well, unless the ability to travel along the branches of the Yggdrasill was a particularly jötnar trait. 'Twas one talent of his he did not think anyone else he knew possessed, not even his father.

What Óðinn did know of, though, and might have sought to prevent in the treaty, was traversing between Realms via the portals which existed in places where the Yggdrasill's branches created direct connections between them. Those shifted and decayed over time, but could still remain remarkably stable for several centuries at a time on occasion. While it took someone either trained in seiðr or sensitive to it to purposefully find them, once found, anyone could use them. As he had proven when he had showed Laufey where the portal to Ásgarðr's vault which he had created was located.

The thought stopped Loki cold as he realized he had never sealed the portal as he had originally intended to do. With a thought, he teleported straight to the vault. A quick glance around proved that it was as empty as he thought, so he walked over to the doors, and then just to the right of them. There, hidden from normal sight just before the wall, was the portal.

For Loki it had always been hard to understand how not everyone could find them, as to him they were obvious. Not only because of the wild seiðr, direct from the Yggdrasill, which marked all such portals, but also because he could _hear_ the World Tree herself. Most of the vault echoed with the beautiful and strangely haunting sound of the song of the Yggdrasill, the same one he both heard and _felt_ resonating through every fiber and thread of his being when he walked on her luminous and evanescent boughs. It sang to his very core, resonating deep within him until his seiðr harmonized with it and he felt almost at one with her.

'Twas an arrogant thought, but one Loki felt every time he ran along the Yggdrasill's branches, standing in the dark of space and the firefly bright sparks and iridescent trails of the World Tree itself. Loki could easily understand why so many people who tried sky walking were lost. Not only was the feat of reaching Yggdrasill hard in and of itself, but her very presence was hypnotic, luring people in and tempting them to stay. 'Twas a temptation Loki had given into, the sensation of _completeness_ and _belonging_ too much to ignore. The fact he had not succumbed was not due to his ability to resist, but rather that he seemed to gain his fill after a certain amount of time, how long he did not know as time was fluid on the Yggdrasill, seeming to stretch for eternity and yet his transport was instantaneous unless he willed it not to be.

The one time he had taken a passenger, a ljósálfr elder whom requested it as payment for teaching him the proper theory behind world walking (which had been lost as the original masters had deemed the knowledge too dangerous to transcribe to parchment), her experience had been entirely different from his own.

So for Loki 'twas almost incomprehensible Óðinn had not already found the portal and closed it; that his father had needed to speak of uncovering how the jötnar had been able to breach the vault. He had been able to hear it from the corridor outside when he had created the portal, the Yggdrasill's sweet, haunting song drawing him in.

Loki staggered, clutching his free hand to his sternum as his other one clenched around Gungnir.

The song... it...

Panic flared hot and fast though Loki as he thought there was something wrong with the song; with the Yggdrasill like when he felt the disharmony that occasionally rattled through her song if he listened carefully enough at the right times. The discordance was generally followed by flickering in the branches themselves, like the light and wild seiðr sputtered momentarily before recovering. Those instances always instinctively terrified Loki, but he had never been able to figure out what caused them in order to be able to help. Reaching out to the Yggdrasill herself had never helped for, though Loki could _feel_ her and her seiðr swirling and flowing all around him, he had never been able to connect with it directly.

That was likely why he had survived sky walking for as long as he had, and yet Loki could not help but try to do so each and every time. Part of him _needed_ to do so in a way that he did not fully understand and would almost frighten him, if he was not so in awe of the Yggdrasill.

So, aye, the disharmonies he heard disturbed Loki deeply and almost felt like a phantom physical pain which could echo through him at odd times even outside of his sky walking.

The discordance Loki felt now, however, was distinctly different, feeling both greater and lesser all at once. That it took him a moment to recognize as coming from _him_ rather than the Yggdrasill was yet another reminder of precisely how damaged and... aye, fragile he currently was and Loki hated himself for it all the more. The fact that the rending of his magical core was now directly affecting his connection with the Yggdrasill and not allowing him to connect with her as he normally would, felt like the physical loss of a limb.

"Hello," Loki greeted, pleased he could still feel what he had always thought of as the Yggdrasill reaching out to him.

'Twas another arrogant and self-centered thought, to imagine the _World Tree_ cared one way or another about him, but 'twas the only manner in which Loki had been able to classify the sensation. It seemed to reach out to him and beckon him in, to tread the branches and settle down in her boughs to rest and enjoy the seiðr and comfort of all that was the Yggdrasill. Normally Loki took her up on the invite, but today the dissonance coming from within him jarred so much he knew he would never be able to find the peace he normally did and he almost worried at the damage he might _do_ if he reached out with his own seiðr to the Yggdrasill like this. Besides, he still had a war to avert and a kingdom to rule before he could even think about looking into healing himself.

With great reluctance, Loki reached out with his seiðr to the edge of the portal and started to urge it closed. Luckily for him, this one felt inclined to listen to him, something he had been worried about given how new it was. The seiðr of the vault itself seemed to be working with him and he wondered if 'twas because he was king, or because the vault was bespelled to be as impenetrable as possible and the portal was antithetical to that. Regardless, it did not take Loki as long to close the portal as he feared it might, nor did it require as much of his energy as he had feared. Both very good things and he took his victories where he could find them as he knew the others would be far more difficult.

With a thought, Loki was back in the study and seated at his new desk. Giving the two treaties a final glance, he realized the severity of the jötnar one might work to his advantage now as it left a lot of options open as means for him to give Laufey-King concessions as part of a new treaty. It would not be a popular option to do so, but Thor _had_ invaded their realm and Loki did not even want to contemplate how many jötnar had been killed in the attack, though he knew he would have to in order to be prepared for the negotiations. First, though, he had to learn more about the jötnar in order to know what to expect from them, and to see what might be of interest to them, and therefore able to draw Laufey into peace talks in the first place.

He already knew his birth father would demand the Casket of Ancient Winters, but surely they must have other things of interest to the jötnar which would not involve sacrificing Óðinn's war prize.

Or at least one of them, Loki could not help but think nastily as he turned back to Bestla's book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta da! I hope you liked the chapter and now you might see where the title of the series this fic is part of comes from.
> 
> * * *
> 
> **Old Norse :**
> 
> _Glaðsheimr_ \- a meeting hall containing 13 high seats where the male æsir hold council, located in Iðavöllr in Ásgarðr - mine won't have 13 seats (too many characters!), but the rest remains largely the same  
>  _ljósálfr_ \- "light elf" - singular of ljósálfar  
>  _dóttir_ \- daughter
> 
> * * *
> 
> **Norse Mythology :**
> 
> _Bestla Bölþorndóttir_ \- Óðinn's actual mother & a frost giantess. She is the daughter of Bölþorn, the wife of Borr and mother of Óðinn, Vili & Vé.  
>  _Borr_ \- Son of Búri and father of Óðinn, Vili & Vé.  
>  _Búri_ \- Father of Borr and, apparently, licked free from salty rime stones by the primeval cow, Auðumbla - I'm not going with the latter, but it was too good not to explain :)  
>  _Njörðr_ \- Father of Freyr and Freyja/Frigg (i.e. Frigga). He was the old king of Vanaheimr in my fic.  
>  _Freyr_ \- Son of Njörðr and sister of Frigga. He's the current king of Vanaheimr in my fic.
> 
> * * *
> 
> Up next week: Loki learns more of the jötnar & Jötunheimr, including some rather... unexpected things :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had originally hoped to have this chapter up yesterday, but I was knackered when I finally got home and so, alas, it was not to be. Hopefully it's a nice Saturday read, though.
> 
> This chapter contains not only lots of new information, but also quite a few Norse words or references to Norse mythology which will likely be unfamiliar to most people. Don't forget that I explain them all at the end of the chapter. It's all really important for what is to come!
> 
> I hope you enjoy the chapter and thanks for those who have left comments or given kudos!

To say his grandmother's, or adopted grandmother anyway (and was it not odd that the one person in his old fake family tree who was actually similar to him now actually _was not_ related to him!), book was a revelation was putting it mildly. Though, to be fair, Loki had been able to admit that what he knew about fr- jötnar was skewed even before he had commenced reading this tome. Still, even knowing this he had never imagined exactly how rich and varied a culture the jötnar seemed to have. Which, truly, should not have been a surprise. After all, Ásgarðr, Vanaheimr, Álfheimr... all had them, so why not Jötunheimr? Somehow the thought had never occurred to him before and now Loki was disgusted with himself for an entirely different reason.

How could he have been so blinded and never realized it? Why had he simply accepted all he had been told from childhood? He who knew more than anyone else precisely how prejudiced and inaccurate ingrained æsir beliefs could be? Simply look at how they viewed seiðr and those who practiced it!

Frustrated with himself, Loki rose and moved to the tea set Livunn had brought to the study. He heated the water with a flick of his fingers before opening his tea box, looking at what leaves he had. Something which aided with alertness and concentration rather than relaxation was needed now. Did he have any Álfheimrian red lady fingers? Aye, he did, excellent.

Loki frowned as he prepared his tea, thoughts already drifting back to all he had read about Jötunheimr and jötunn culture. It did not fully agree with what he had seen when he had been there himself. Aye, true, he had hardly been there for any length of time, but what he had seen was far removed from the grandeur and refinery Bestla mentioned. Had he simply seen the wrong part of Jötunheimr? Or had the war truly done so much damage? But it had been well over a millennium now, surely if that were the cause they should have recovered by now, at least somewhat even if they had not managed to regain their former glory, cut off from the rest of the Nine Realms as they were.

'Twas a bit of a conundrum, but not his biggest priority right now, Loki reasoned. As soon as his tea was ready, he picked up both the cup and teapot and moved both to the desk. There he poured himself his first serving and settled back in to continue his research. A while later, he paused as he came across an unfamiliar word, hrímþursar. Loki frowned, his forehead crinkling as he tried to figure it out. No part of it was familiar to him so he did not think 'twas Ásgarðrian and had simply fallen out of use, which made him think 'twas probably jötnar. Well, he had been reading the book out of order, looking up information he had deemed of most importance first. Perhaps that had been a mistake.

The urge to sigh or run his hands through his hair was great, but Loki suppressed both and instead took a sip of tea, abruptly bespelling the pot to remain hot as 'twas already starting to cool. With deliberate calmness, he flipped the book back to the beginning with the intention to skim the pages until he found the word. Luckily he found it not far past the introduction at the start of the first chapter.

_While many people feel they know the basics of the jötnar and our culture, there are actually many common misconceptions about us which linger, even among those who have met a jötunn or been to Jötunheimr. The first is that they assume they know what we look like, as the common slur frost giant implies. Though 'tis true most jötnar are giant in nature, this is not true for all of us. The jötnar the Nine are used to seeing are the hrímþursar, but there is a second group of jötnar, one far rarer but no less powerful in their own right; namely the íviðjur. With a status far shorter than the hrímþursar - they average at six feet instead of sixteen feet - they are also slimmer of build, softer of features and possess hair. 'Tis the íviðjur who are responsible for the old myths and legends of fey beauty and wild seiðr among the wilderness and wastelands of Jötunheimr._

Loki stared at the page of the book in shock. Íviðjur? He... was not some freak runt anomaly? He was an altogether different type of jötunn? The thought felt surreal even as it caused a coil of warmth deep within him to which his seiðr responded, pulsing softly and pleasantly within him. He had not realized precisely how much being an... anomaly, even among jötnar, had been bothering him until right now.

'Twas odd as he had no desire to be jötunn and wished he could somehow undo it and simply... If he had to be jötunn he had much rather be a normal one than to, once again, be completely unable to fit in as he had for so long on Ásgarðr.

_The íviðjur, though, are rare, one being born only every five millennia at best to over ten millennia at worst. They are born to hrímþursar parents and we do not know when or why they will appear, only that they do and are always very powerful seiðberandi. Because of this, they are raised as shamans of Mother Winter and become special advisors to the king on all matters seiðr and pertaining to Jötunheimr's heart, the Casket of Ancient Winters._

Loki's breath caught at that. Special advisors to the king? Raised to specialize in seiðr? _That_ made Loki swallow thickly as he thought of how much ridicule and disapproval he had been met with over the centuries for studying seiðr. On Ásgarðr 'twas definitely looked down upon and deemed argr. For the first time ever, he started to feel the first inkling of regret that he _had not_ been raised on Jötunheimr.

And yet...

Loki was not blind to what else had been said about íviðjur. Bestla had been delicate about it, but it still definitely sounded like íviðjur were considered argr among the jötnar in their own way, given all the talk of beauty and 'softer features'. Still, if it afforded a respectable position and even access to the Casket...

While Loki had always been interested in the Casket of Ancient Winters, both as a magical object in general but also as its role in the Ásgarðr-Jötunheimr War, Óðinn had always forbidden him study of it. His father had decided 'twas far too dangerous, which Loki had never quite believed. Now he knew why the All-Father truly had not wished him near it!

His anger rising sharply, and his earlier disgust with it, Loki rose to his feet and began to pace his study even as he reached up to clutch at the obsidian amulet. He rolled it between his fingers as he paced, using it as a focal point to calm himself, feeling the strain on his magical core. A vague sense of comfort suddenly flowed over him and Loki had to fight off the instinct to reject it once he recognized Loptr's presence. He did not feel any accompanying manifestations, but 'twas only as he did not require advice, simply grounding. The distraction also helped greatly and he was finally able to calm himself enough to sit back down at the desk.

The reference to Mother Winter intrigued Loki and he chose to focus on that. Was she some part of a jötnar religion? He had never heard of them having one, but that was not terribly surprising. He had only read a small part of the way through Bestla's book but 'twas already more than clear the jötnar were far more sophisticated and complex than most æsir nowadays realized. So likely a religion, but also one tied to seiðr somehow given the íviðjur seemed to be shamans of Mother Winter _and_ advisors on seiðr.

It reminded Loki of some of the ljósálfar. The more remote tribes he had tracked down and visited half a millennium ago had also intertwined their seiðr with the belief in a powerful maternal-like figure, only they called her Álfröðull and she seemed to be some personified form of Álfheimr itself. The thought made Loki pause as he was suddenly hyperaware of Ásgarðr thrumming away lazily at the back of his mind. He had always dismissed the notion out of hand, though not visibly obviously. While with the ljósálfar he had shown their beliefs and traditions every respect, as befitted a prince of a foreign Realm. But privately...

It shamed him a little to think of it now, but there had been no proof the beliefs had been anything more than any other religion, besides, even they had admitted it had been generations since anyone had actually interacted with Álfröðull, so it could simply be nothing. Besides, the details of the álfablót they performed to her were kept strictly secret and he had not been allowed to either observe or learn any details as to what it pertained.

Loki frowned and looked back at the book, but this chapter had ended that subject there, going on instead to discuss a few other parts of jötunn culture. Flipping to the index, Loki saw there was a section on Mother Winter, and quite a long one at that. However, 'twas after one on jötnar anatomy and he knew that he should probably look at that first, simply to make certain he understood the basics properly. Such as whether the lines he had observed on every single jötunn, himself included, had any actual significance. They seemed to differ from one individual to the next, including in color, but he had not exactly had the time to study them properly either. That he possessed them seemed to indicate they were a natural part of the jötnar form, as why would time or energy be wasted on applying them to an infant you meant to abandon? But the jötnar would hardly be the first to apply significance to a natural trait one could not do anything about. The æsir did it oft enough themselves after all.

The relevant section possessed some drawings which Loki looked at as he flipped through the pages. Of most interest was a two-page spread for which he had to turn the book lengthwise. Drawn over both pages was the large figure of a jötunn, much as the ones Loki had seen himself before. A hrímþurs, according to the legend beneath it. Beside the hrímþurs, and not even reaching the top of the first page, was a much smaller form. More slender and without the harsher facial features and ridges of the taller jötunn, and possessing both proper ears and hair. An íviðja, the legend said. Loki could not help but start to see some of himself in the second form. 'Twas odd, the relief he felt at not being as 'obviously' jötnar clashing with the distaste at once again being deemed more ergi.

Loki frowned as he suddenly realized both figures were male. Where were the depictions of female jötnar? Come to think of it, he could not recall ever having seen one outside of Bestla and, now he thought of it, she looked more like the male hrímþursar pictured before him than anything else in all but the first few memories of her that Ásgarðr had shown him. Flipping through to next few pages revealed no new drawings so Loki went back to the start of the section and began to read. Most of the information, though useful, was not terribly surprising, talking about how jötnar biology differed from æsir or ljósálfar in everything from the digestive track through to preferred temperature ranges. It helped to explain some of his food preferences (like fish) and aversions, but held no real surprises for Loki.

Nay, what did not only surprise him, but both shocked and stunned him was the section entitled 'Sex & Reproduction'. He had almost skipped it as he had no real desire to even entertain the thought of two jötnar fornicating, but he had not as he realized 'twas the most likely place to find the answers to his question, and find it he most definitely did.

_Unlike every other major species of the Nine Realms but for the múspellssynir, the jötnar are not made up of members from two different sexes. Instead jötnar are all the same sex, what is called hermaphroditic by other species. For us 'tis normal and the idea of only possessing a cock or a vagina alien and abnormal. We have both and every jötnar, baring medical abnormality or infertility, is able to both sire or bear and birth children, our mammary tissue swelling to form breasts as and when needed at such times._

It... that...

Loki licked his suddenly too dry lips and realized he was absently clenching his thighs together. He forced them to relax as he took several deep calming breaths. His initial reaction was already making his magical core ache as his mind and seiðr scrambled desperately to figure out what this new information _meant_ for him.

Not wishing any more of himself to unravel, Loki forced himself to focus on the familiar buried within this latest self-discovery. As a gifted shapeshifter, he had learned to alter his gender early on as one of the steppingstones to learning how to shift his shape entirely, from one form to another. He now recalled he had managed that initial shift far easier than most, to the point where he had startled his tutors. Had that been because the form was not as alien to him as 'twas to most? Regardless of the reason, once he had been able to shift into a woman, his natural curiosity had made it almost inevitable that he would try having sex as one once he had hit puberty. So, actually, this was not all as widely alien to him as it all could be.

Or at least so Loki tried to tell himself. 'Twas not exactly working... hermaphroditic... the ability to carry a child... to _grow_ breasts...

His hand spasmed tight around the amulet as he tried desperately to control his erratic breathing. The sudden rush of calm and control which swept over him, his own and yet not, kept Loki from losing all control and he frantically looked around for a reflective surface for Loptr to be able to use. Simply the mirror, even enlarged, was not going to be enough, not when he could _feel_ his magical core unraveling further even now.

There were no larger mirrors in the study but, as with the rest of Iðavöllr, there were plenty of smooth, gold and highly polished surfaces, which were good enough for this. Only just remembering to throw up a block against Heimdallr, Loki moved to the nearest such wall and reached out to it with his seiðr, guiding Loptr towards it as well. There was a shift in the feel of seiðr around him and then Loki was looking at a more golden and distorted version of himself.

"Breathe, Loki," Loptr said without even a second's pause. "Deep breaths."

Loki snarled as he knew he had to calm down, but 'twas not so simple! His whole sense of self had been turned both on its head _and_ inside out, and the shocks of exactly what that meant simply kept coming!

"Íviðja? Hermaphroditic?" Loki snapped, barely managing to swallow down the other poisonous words he wished to spew.

Loptr did not deserve them. _He_ himself did not deserve them either. Not that they deserved much of what ever happened to them, but Loki could control this while all of those others were far out of his control.

He would not further add to their burden or strain.

Loptr winced and Loki was shocked to observe his temporal twin shift uncomfortably, well at least to one as intimately familiar with him as he was. Absently it pleased him quite how subtle the tell truly was. Someone would have to both know him very well and be quite observant to catch it. Which ruled out Thor and his brother's friends. That caught him off-guard. Up until now Loptr had seemed to be completely in control of things, or at least mentally given Loptr's physical condition the first time they had met. So to see his older self as uncomfortable with this new information as him was... unexpected.

"You are not any more accustomed to this than me," Loki said softly.

"I have not had much more time than you to come to terms with it," Loptr replied, a sharp edge to his voice. "I only learned of it shortly after I first contacted you."

"After?"

"My initial focus was more on jötunn seiðr than their culture or physiology. My mistake."

Loki could not fault Loptr's choice of priorities given the difference in their positions. If he had the luxury of time, he too would have started with the seiðr as well. His first desire upon holding the book on jötunn seiðr had been to curl up somewhere before a fire and simply devour it. If he had not had the war to contend with, he would have done precisely that.

"Have you..." Loki began before trailing off, unable to voice the rest of the thought.

"Have I what? _Explored_?" Loptr almost sneered before he bit his lip. "Pardon, I did not mean that."

The instinctive urge to snap back had risen within Loki, but he forced it down. They were both dealing with the same issues here and neither of them were at all well equipped to do so in any remotely elegant or healthy way.

"You have not actually answered my question," Loki pointed out, easily detecting the evasion for what it was.

Loptr's eyes flickered over to his, a brief glimpse of dark humor and familiarity visible before his double's face blanked once more. "Hmm, I have."

The answer did not particularly surprise Loki as they were far too curious for their own good at times, as Mother had told him oft enough. Still, the thought of checking _that_... well he was not ready for it yet, so he would have to settle for the knowledge that 'twas, in fact, true.

"Norns," Loki swore, closing his eyes.

"No one has to know," Loptr stated. "Well not unless you were planning to tell people you are jötunn."

Loki opened his eyes to glare at Loptr. Of course he had not planned to go around spreading that particular bit of information. He was not suicidal, and he knew only all too well that no Ásgarðrian worth their salt would stand for a jötunn on Hliðskjálf. Well, other than Óðinn apparently, given the fool had put him into the line of succession, probably with the intention of it never coming to pass. So, nay, there would be no public revelations of his true heritage.

As for the rest, well, now Loki found he could breathe again and think at least somewhat rationally, if not entirely in an uncompromised fashion, he could put it aside to deal with later. After the war was sorted and, hopefully, after Óðinn had awoken and was safely ensconced back on Hliðskjálf once more. It would frighten him how quickly Loptr was able to stabilize both his mood and his seiðr if the man were not essentially himself, and he was not so far gone yet as to resent his own ability to do so. Perhaps given enough time and additional shocks, but not yet.

Loki snorted at the thought, dark humor mixed with self-deprecation welling up within him, but not so much as to be overpowering. At least not this time.

"Thank you, Loptr," Loki acknowledged, unable to resist using the old moniker.

Loptr's lips twitched despite himself and Loki took it as a win.

"I forgot to mention something earlier."

"Oh?"

"During his time on Miðgarðr, Thor made contact with a human organization called SHIELD."

"Shield?"

"'Tis an acronym for something longer and unwieldy," Loptr explained. "Regardless, their purpose is to defend Miðgarðr from any number of threats. Thor's arrival will alert them to the fact that there is, in fact, life beyond their pathetic little planet."

Loki's lips twitched despite himself. It had been a while since he had last traveled the Yggdrasill to Miðgarðr, but he had always found his visits amusing. Humans were interesting in a way which was both innocent and bloody in turns. He had found them to be so contradictory and chaotic as to be fascinating and appealing in a strange way, though their short lives made any further study of them almost futile in how little time he oft possessed to go interact with them. If there was any length of time between his visits, the mortals he had taken a liking to would be long dead and gone by the time he returned, their memories oft lost in the mists of time as the other humans would say.

"Father will not be pleased," Loki replied.

"'Tis his own fault for sending Thor there in the first place," Loptr stated dismissively. "But their response to this new threat is to assemble a team of... heroes from across Miðgarðr, or at least it will be if they are presented with an enemy stronger than SHIELD can handle on their own."

"Very well, and?" Loki questioned, failing to see how this was of significance to him.

"'Tis merely information, should you find need of going to Miðgarðr in your new future. Given Thanos has targeted it once and that they possess the Tesseract, 'tis likely the Mad Titan will be drawn there once more."

"And we will need to intervene to ensure he does not obtain the Tesseract."

"Not to mention you may have the opportunity to... relieve his messenger of the Mind Stone as well."

Oh, now there was an idea. Not that Loki had any desire to mess with the Infinity Stone directly, not so long as it was in any way connected to Thanos. Loptr's hints of what he had undergone at the Mad Titan's hands were still far too clear in Loki's mind for anything as stupidly mad as that. He would leave those actions to Thor from now on, especially now he had heard first accounts of what they could lead to for him personally. He had no desire for that darkness and madness.

"Are any of these human heroes worth looking into?" Loki asked.

'Twas unlikely, but he had learned better than to dismiss anything outright. Simply look at how dangerous he himself was, despite being what was essentially a jötunn runt if you put all fancy words and titles aside. 'Twas how Laufey had clearly viewed him instead of these supposedly valued íviðjur.

"The one who transforms into a green berserker beast is worth watching out for when sufficiently provoked," Loptr cautioned with a wince and touch to his ribs. "But the one who intrigued me was Anthony Stark."

"What are his powers?"

"He does not possess any, not in that manner. Nay, his skills as a warrior and his cause for being on the team are all due to his intellect. He is deemed a genius among mortals and has turned his skills to creating the most interesting armor."

"Armor?" Loki questioned, he did not wish to be skeptical, but it did not sound so special even if the mention of that level of intellect intrigued him.

'Twas not often he had come across anyone who could truly challenge his mind and Loki had always savored those special occasions when they occurred. Much to his brother's dismay at times, especially if he had abandoned or refused to go on an adventurous quest to do so. For this mortal, with such a short life, to have caught Loptr's eye enough for his temporal twin to mention him to Loki now was intriguing enough. Still, he wanted to know what was so extraordinary about this armor.

"I know it sounds mundane, but 'tis not," Loptr laughed. "It covers his entire body when activated and it gives him the ability to fly and fight those far stronger than himself. It also contains... a mechanical construct of some sort."

Loki's eyebrows shot up instantly intrigued. "A _mechanical_ construct?"

"'Tis the best description I can think of. It seems to be able to think and act like a human, yet it possesses no physical form I have seen. It also appears to be both in Stark's armor and his tower dwelling."

Hmm. Perhaps Loki would need to contrive an excuse to convince Thor to return to Miðgarðr once Óðinn had awoken and he was free to roam the Realms once more.

* * *

By the time light started creeping into the study, steadily advancing along the floor towards the far wall which held a portrait of the royal family, Loki had long since traded in Bestla's book for several others. His search had become far more focused after he had come across the first real information on the Casket of Ancient Winters. Now he was almost frantically looking for any other books or manuscripts which might possess additional information as horror welled up within him. He had always heard the Casket described as the heart of Jötunheimr but, until now, he had thought that description was based on how powerful it was and how central to jötnar politics, being both a weapon and a means of travel. What Loki had never realized was that 'twas also critically important for Jötunheimr itself.

For the Realm's very survival.

The first reference to it Loki had found had been so obscure he had not quite understood it right away, but the other sources had not been quite so vague.

_'Tis a pity all records pertaining to the creation of the Casket of Ancient Winters have been lost or destroyed. As the ability to so thoroughly harness a very planet's power and seiðr is a fantastic feat of power and skill, for it to have been lost is a tragedy of epic proportions. With it goes the ability to replicate the feat on other planets, thereby preventing them from gaining such fine control of nearly every aspect of their planet's seiðr, leaving it up to the natural and oft chaotic forces of the planet itself._

What that author had not seemed to grasp was the inherent weakness which went along with the harnessing of a Realm's very seiðr. One Loki had recognized and feared long before he had come across it spelled out in another text.

_The Casket of Ancient Winters, though an incredible achievement of magical proportions is also a tremendous weakness for Jötunheimr at the same time. While 'tis true it allows the jötnar king to control nearly all aspects of Útgarðr itself, it has also resulted in a disruption of the natural processes which would normally regulate Jötunheimr's magical core. Without these, it could leave Útgarðr in great peril should the Casket ever be lost or stolen. One fears that it may even result in Jötunheimr slowly tearing itself apart, an event which would imperil the entirety of the Yggdrasill and should be guarded against by all of the Nine._

Those words haunted Loki even now, several hours after reading them. Sure, on their own they did not prove anything. but the evidence was all there. Jötunheimr's abysmal recovery even in the millennium since the war, the jötnar's desperation to have the Casket of Ancient Winters back (despite the fact it could plunge them back into a war they lost the last time when they were better armed and prepared), the discordance he had detected from time to time in the Yggdrasill's song, the sheer amount of power and seiðr he had felt when touching the Casket, the importance the Casket had in jötnar culture... Even the careful way Bestla talked about it, saying just enough to not be obviously avoiding it, but also not announcing its utter and critical importance for all to learn.

Oh, the irony that in doing so she might have helped bring about that which she had sought to avoid in the first place! Loki knew enough about Óðinn to know that his adoptive father had not been aware of any of this when he took the Casket from Jötunheimr. Not only did Óðinn genuinely seem to want peace, even if only on his terms, but there was absolutely no honor in destroying Jötunheimr in this manner and honor was far too important to both Ásgarðr and Óðinn for Borrson to have done this knowingly. The only question was, had Óðinn learned of it since and, if so, why had he not done anything about it?

Loki could immediately think of a few answers to the question, but he was not quite certain he could believe any of them. Aye, having to turn about and return the Casket to Laufey-King would be an embarrassment. Or, aye, admitting he had not realized how vital it was both to the jötnar's survival, and that of their very Realm, would be a similar embarrassment. But surely the need to do so outweighed any such embarrassment. Given how often Óðinn had lectured both him and Thor on how the King of Ásgarðr had a responsibility to protect and guard the Nine Realms, surely he would not willingly allow _this_?

Would he?

Loki laughed, flinching at how unsteady it sounded even to himself. Even after the events of the past day, he was still asking whether or not he thought Óðinn could do certain things. It seemed he either could not learn, or that he willfully did not want to, his upbringing and old desires holding him back from seeing the truth.

And yet...

And yet there was a world of difference between what Óðinn had done to him and this. With him, Óðinn had stolen a child and a potentially unwanted one at that. Aye, it could affect the future of two Realms, and that had clearly been his father's intention upon claiming him, but 'twas all. _This_ however... this could adversely affect not only Jötunheimr, but had the possibility of undermining the entirety of the Yggdrasill and, through that, imperil all Nine Realms. Without the Yggdrasill they would all die. Surely that was a risk Óðinn simply would not take? Hel, even the destruction on Svartálfaheimr had been regretted afterwards for the impact it had wrought on the World Tree. Loki still shuddered at what he felt from the Yggdrasill when he had travelled there. Even merely passing close to a branch which led to the destroyed Realm was enough to disrupt the harmony of the Yggdrasill's song.

In fact, before now he had always assumed the disharmony he occasionally felt within the song came from Svartálfaheimr. But what if 'twas from having one of the Nine _dying_ within her very boughs? Aye the myrkálfar were dead, or so they had all believed, but Svartálfaheimr itself had not been directly impacted other than where the war had been fought. The destruction Borr and Malekith had wrecked aside, Svartálfaheimr still lived in its own way. It might not be in a manner the rest of the Nine might immediately understand, but Loki was aware that this in and of itself was actually significantly important. Not all of the Realms were the same and the Yggdrasill would not survive if they were. Nay, each contributed something unique and important to the World Tree, holding all of the Yggdrasill in balance. Some disruption could be tolerated as with any healthy system, but too much would tilt it all too far and everything could be destroyed.

The mere idea of it sickened Loki and he felt Ásgarðr recoil from it. So why had Óðinn not returned the Casket of Ancient Winters to Jötunheimr? Aye, it risked the possibility of a second war, but surely 'twas a risk worth taking given the alternatives? It made what he had to discuss with the High Council far easier to focus on, but he needed as much information as he could obtain on the Casket. Was there a way to restrict its use? Perhaps to prevent Laufey from utilizing it to travel to other Realms? Or even to ensure it could only be used to maintain Jötunheimr's seiðr? Surely Laufey and the jötnar would be desperate enough by now to accept something like that.

Had it perhaps been Óðinn's plan, Loki wondered. Wait until his enemy could not say nay to such a restriction on the Casket's power before returning it as a gesture of good will from Ásgarðr? At least to the other Realms? If so, then it would have been smarter not to allow the anti-jötnar sentiment to grow as bad as it had. Having a more sympathetic view would make such a move far more acceptable to the people who would have viewed it as a mercy bestowed upon a former enemy. Now it would be viewed with suspicion and disapproval and, of course, all of it would fall on his head.

Loki growled at the thought. How typical, here he was, once more cleaning up a mess someone in his family had created, and all he would get in return for it was more disgust and scorn. True, usually 'twas not _Óðinn's_ mess he had to clean up, but the pattern still held. Sometimes he wondered why he even bothered.

Look as he might, though, Loki had yet to find a book which contained any real information on the Casket of Ancient Winters. There were plenty which mentioned it, indeed not a single book did not contain some reference to it, so tied into jötnar culture and politics was it, but for many that was all they contained. A few went further, but even those seemed to contain little of value, most of it recording lamentations on the lack of knowledge on the Casket or what was, at best, repetition of rumors or stories the author had heard of it, or a best guess based on brief encounters with the Casket or the results of its use. Such as the damage it had wrought on Miðgarðr after Laufey had utilized it there to try and convert the Realm into a more suitable home for more jötnar.

Loki growled in frustration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, another visit from Loptr with some further information about the future. He simply had to tell Loki something of the Avengers, they're too important to the MCU not to have that in there somewhere. Also, I couldn't help but add the 'suicidal' mention as it shows how far apart Loki is from Loptr around the same time, all due to Loki having some support where Loptr didn't.
> 
> As for the status of the jötnar, well, I wanted to do something different as they are a completely different species. The fact that all of the jötnar we saw in the movie seemed to be the same sex was likely due to the usual sexism, but I decided to run with it. Besides, Laufey is listed in mythology as Loki's _mother_ , so there was already some gender bending going on in the comics & MCU. I merely took it a few steps further.
> 
> As regards the jötnar and the whole hrímþursar & íviðjur situation, that's not all made up on my part. Some of it is, obviously, but some of it's based on what I've learned from Norse mythology. Several references I came across said the jötnar were described as either "exceedingly beautiful or alarmingly grotesque", so I decided to run with that duality. It worked well since I always knew that in a larger fic like this, I simply _couldn't_ allow the clear differences between the jötnar we see on Jötunheimr and Loki when shifted into his birth form go. So this seemed the perfect dichotomy to use. There were simply far too many differences for there not to be a reason!  
> In _Ensoulment_ I went with him only being half-jötunn, while here I used the fascinating info I found from Norse mythology. Plus it all really worked with what I wanted to do with both this story as well as the rest of the series. The fact that Loki's marked differences from other jötnar was never addressed in the movie always irritated me. 
> 
> Beyond that, some of you may be happy to learn that I have been unexpectedly attacked by a completely new plot bunny for this fandom. It came out of nowhere when I was thinking of the _Loki_ trailer and is already half written. It will be far shorter, more like _Mirror in the Sky_ than either this fic or _Ensoulment_ , but quite different from anything I've read before. It'll be called _Fensalir_ and I'll post it as soon as I'm done with it, so watch this space :)
> 
> * * *
> 
> **Old Norse & Norse Mythology:**
> 
> _hrímþursar_ \- hrím (“frost”) + þurs (“giant”); the singular is _hrímþurs_. As this word seems interchangeable with jötnar, I used it for the name of the non-íviðjur.  
>  _íviðjur_ \- a word of seeming nebulous origin, often translated as "giantess", but I did find some sources which said they were a different, better looking type of jötnar. The singular is _íviðja_.  
>  _argr_ \- Old Norse term of insult, "unmanly, effeminate, cowardly".  
>  _ergi_ \- Old Norse term of insult, "unmanliness".  
>  _Álfröðull_ \- "elf-beam", "elf-disc" or "elf-glory, elf-heaven" - slightly ambiguous term which can refer both to the sun-chariot of the sun goddess Sól and to the rider - I've gone a different way with this, based more on the translations of the word, but you'll have to wait to find out what!  
>  _álfablót_ \- "elven sacrifice" - local celebration administered by the lady of the household, of which little is known about the particular rites because they were surrounded by secrecy and strangers were not welcome. Thought to be concerned with ancestor worship & the life force of the family.  
>  _Útgarðr_ \- "Outyards" - often used to refer to the area outside of which the gods and humans lived. Also used as another name for Jötunheimr.  
>  _seiðr_ \- witchcraft, sorcery / a type of sorcery practiced in Norse society during the Late Scandinavian Iron Age - i.e. magic  
>  _seiðberandi_ \- sorcerers  
>  _Iðavöllr_ \- a meeting place of the gods - my name for the palace  
>  _Hliðskjálf_ \- the high seat of Óðinn allowing him to see into all realms - i.e. Óðinn's throne  
>  _múspellssynir_ \- "sons of Muspell" - one of several words I'll use for the inhabitants of Múspellsheimr  
>  _ljósálfar_ \- "light elves" - ljósálfr is the singular  
>  _myrkálfar_ \- "dark elves" (or "dusky elves" & "murky elves") - myrkálfr is the singular  
>  _jötnar_ \- "frost giants" - jötunn is the singular  
>  _æsir_ \- the gods of the principal pantheon in Norse religion - so Ásgarðrians here
> 
> * * *
> 
> Up next time: The High Council convenes... (i.e. we meet a lot more people!).


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone, here's the next chapter of my fic, I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> A continued thanks to everyone who is leaving either comments or kudos, they're much appreciated as always!

A knock on the door interrupted his apparently futile search and Loki leaned back in his chair, disheartened.

"Enter," he called.

"Good morning, Your Majesty," Livunn said as she opened the door.

Her eyes swept the chamber as she entered, taking in the cluttered desk and doing an assessment of what she could see of his person. Clearly what she saw displeased her as Loki caught the slight narrowing of her eyes and the aborted twitch of her lips. It caused his own lips to curl up slightly and he could not help but imagine her doing the exact same even if it were his father seated here. He almost wished it were, simply so he could see what Óðinn would do with her. His father definitely was not used to anyone treating him like this anymore.

Well, except for Mother, of course.

"Livunn," Loki greeted, hearing more than seeing the commotion in the hallway behind her. "Is it time for breakfast already?"

"A little early, perhaps, but I heard you have a High Council meeting first thing and wanted to ensure you had plenty of time to eat, given you have not slept."

Loki nearly snorted at the borderline censure in her voice and instead he merely waved a hand in the direction of the sofas and low table standing before them. 'Twas all Livunn needed to start having everything brought in and Loki shook his head a little before running a hand over his face. Of course his personal servant knew his schedule for the day, she was hardly incompetent and for all she chastised him on not getting any sleep, he had no doubt she had not slept as much as she should either. Not given how late it had been when she had left his chambers last night and how she had to have obtained her information on his plans for the day afterwards.

It seemed they would both be sleep deprived until Óðinn roused from his sleep. The irony of the situation was not lost on him.

Not waiting to be called, Loki rose to his feet and stretched before walking over to one of the sofas. The small table was covered not by a fancy array of dishes, but instead a few smaller ones, the biggest of which held an omelet with both vegetables and meat. Beside it was a much smaller plate of freshly baked bread and another containing fruit and yoghurt.

'Twas almost a relief to see one of his usual breakfasts rather than whatever fancy spread he had no doubt the kitchens had wished to make and send up. While he always had a healthy appetite in the morning and did not do well with skipping the breaking of the night's fast, something routine right now was sorely welcome and he was silently thankful for Livunn once more. She was a treasure in her own way and he could not believe no one else of his family had claimed her as their personal servant before him.

A pitcher of jojo juice was placed beside him as Loki sat, but there was no tea brought in. Instead Livunn moved towards the teapot and box she had brought to the study the day before.

"The vanir blossoms as usual, my Liege?" Livunn asked.

Loki shook his head as he picked up his plate with the omelet. "Nay, not today. I will go with the queen's leaf."

'Twas an older Ásgarðrian brew named after the fact Buri's wife had been unable to start the day without it. Livunn's lips twitched slightly but she did as requested. No doubt she was displeased at his needing so much caffeine so early in the day, but he had to be as alert as possible both for the High Council meeting and for the audience with Lady Sif and the Warriors Three. If they were truly going to commit treason, then he wanted that particular meeting to go just right, so they possessed no means of worming out of their rightful sentences for it.

The thought of them doing so alone (and that Thor would probably fight for it as he had always done when they had looked to be in trouble for their actions) killed Loki's appetite, but he forced himself to keep eating. He had already not slept and was not only under high pressure, but had a fracturing magical core and psyche, he could ill afford not eating as well. Not without risking a collapse and then where would Ásgarðr be?

Uncle Vili was not his idea of a suitable regent, much less permanent king should Óðinn never recover. Not to mention the added stress it would place on his mother in particular, given how divided her focus would be between Óðinn and himself, along with also worrying about Thor and Uncle Vili's rule. All of which was without considering what it would look like to both Ásgarðr's enemies and allies alike.

As it was, even with him on the throne, they looked weaker and disorganized as he was not the direct heir and Thor was supposed to have ascended to Hliðskjálf yesterday.

"Here you go, Your Majesty," Livunn said, placing the tea before him. "Is there anything else you require?"

"Not at the moment nay, thank you, Livunn," Loki replied.

At that she stepped back to stand beside the other servant and the two Einherjar whom had entered the study with them. It felt incredibly awkward all of a sudden and Loki missed his mother something fierce right then, even though he was still not entirely certain how he felt about her and all she had done. The centuries worth of lies rankled, but he could also remember only all too well all of the times she had been there for him as a child and had dried his tears when he had been hurt, or comforted him after a nightmare. Loki paused at the thought of how many of these had involved feeling lost and alone, abandoned, in the cold.

A chill swept through him at the vague memories he had of those night terrors. Had they been based on memories he possessed from when he had been cast out by Laufey? Was that what had been plaguing him even then?

Simply the mere possibility complicated his feelings towards Frigga even further and Loki shoved them all aside. He did not have the time to deal with any of it now. Instead he focused on finishing his meal as he tried to organize his thoughts enough for the High Council meeting. Hopefully they would be able to come up with a viable plan for what to do and start to put things into motion.

As soon as he was finished, Loki rose to his feet and moved back to the desk to roll up the parchments he would need and to collect Gungnir. When he stepped out into the corridor, 'twas to find Lieutenant-General Yngvarr. Surprised, he raised an inquiring eyebrow, causing the man to flush.

"I... given the circumstances and the fact we need to split protection between yourself and the All-Father, we have had to increase some shifts," Lieutenant-General Yngvarr informed him.

A likely explanation, but Loki was reasonably certain some of it was also that the man felt better taking care of things personally, a sentiment he could well understand. Especially considering the situation.

"Very well," Loki replied.

"Glaðsheimr, Your Majesty?"

"Aye."

Although it was still early, the corridors were busier than they had been the previous evening and so their progress was marked by people stopping to clasp their fists to their chest and bowing to him. 'Twas a strange experience for Loki and one he did not know what to think of. While 'twas nice to finally receive some recognition, it was not truly for any of the reasons he had wished it. All of these people, the servants and nobles alike, were doing it because he was regent king right now, not because of any action he had taken or skills he possessed. 'Twas all for Hliðskjálf and the fact he was now sat upon it. Well, so to speak.

For all of that, Loki was quite glad when they reached Glaðsheimr and entered it. The Einherjar swept the chamber before several moved to the balcony and others stepped back out of the hall, the remaining few spreading out around the chamber. Since he was the first to arrive, Loki moved to the head of the table, placing his notes before the seat to the right of the one he normally sat at. The fixed seating arrangements would mean both of those beside him would now be free, his own and Thor's, which would allow him the illusion of space.

Loki then took the opportunity to move toward the balcony for some fresh air. He stopped beside one of the golden pillars and a slight prod from his seiðr had his cape shifting to gold, making him slightly harder to spot to anyone entering Glaðsheimr. 'Twas not a perfect disguise by any means, but it made him feel a little better.

The first of the High Council to arrive were his Uncles Vili and Vé, which did not surprise Loki in the slightest. They of everyone would best understand the position he was now in and he had been counting on their support, even if he knew better than to rely on it too much. The recent betrayal of those whom he had thought were his parents was far too fresh in his mind for that. The rest of the Council members followed shortly after, the overall mood noticeably subdued, informing Loki he would have no trouble explaining exactly how serious their situation at the moment was.

"Does anyone know what happened?" Uncle Vili asked. "I have heard rumors, but..."

"Father collapsed in the vault," Loki stated, letting his cape shift to green before he turned around, noting who did and did not seem surprised to see him.

"King Loki," Lord Ragnvaldr greeted, bowing.

As expected, the others followed suit though they all raised clenched fists to their hearts.

"Is Óðinn alright?" Uncle Vé asked as Loki moved towards the table.

"He is being tended by Lady Eir and Mother," Loki explained. "But 'tis not a normal Óðinnsleep as he put it off for too long."

"And you say he collapsed into it?" Uncle Vili questioned, clearly worried.

The cynical part of Loki could not help but wonder if 'twas due to concern for his elder brother, or because it would put Loki on Hliðskjálf permanently. None of those present, himself included, had expected him to end up on it. Still, it hardly mattered why his uncle was concerned as Loptr's warning of what had happened to his temporal twin would make Loki cautious in all of his dealings. He would not give _anyone_ the opportunity to betray him.

"Hmm," Loki confirmed, reaching his father's usual seat and leaning Gungnir against the grove in the table made specially to hold it before he sat. "We were arguing when it happened."

There was no point in concealing the fact as he had already said it where others could overhear, and Loki was well aware the Einherjar had probably heard their raised voices from their posts. For him not to admit it openly here and now would make it look like he might have something to hide, as he knew there would be questions raised about his ascension to Hliðskjálf. He had not been the heir and crown prince after all.

"Óðinn is strong and will pull through with time," General Týr stated confidently. "We merely need to focus on keeping everything going until he does."

Simple and straightforward, but then Loki had not expected anything else from the top man in charge of Ásgarðr's armed forces. The tall, dark skinned man had always been a tough but fair taskmaster in Loki's experience. Well, except for the fact the man had banned the use of seiðr in many training scenarios. Ostentatiously it was to ensure he could fight well without it, which he could understand, but it had led the others to view seiðr use as even more argr and dishonorable than before. He had also never understood why it had not been important for the others to learn how to combat a battle seiðmadr so they knew what to do if they encountered one.

"Aye," Loki agreed. "And speaking of that, Uncle Vili, Uncle Vé, until such time as either Father awakens or Thor returns, could you please retake your former duties with the Princes' Court, to make up for the gap currently left there?"

'Twas something which had occurred to Loki in the middle of the night out of nowhere. With him as regent and Thor banished, no one was left to see to the lower-level offences and disputes which needed dealing with before they escalated or clogged up the time the king dedicated to dealing with the more complex ones, or which were taken to Óðinn in appeal of either his or Thor's decisions. Rather annoyingly, it had always been his as of late even as infrequent as they were. Not that it mattered as Óðinn had not overturned one of his decisions in decades, and only amended them rarely and even then not always in favor of the complainant.

"The Princes' Court?" Uncle Vé questioned, confused. "But Thor mentioned a few decades ago those were not attracting disputes anymore."

Those were not attracting... Loki's eyes closed as he suddenly realized exactly why his sessions had grown so busy and long the past few decades. If people were not going to Thor's sessions, then that would make sense. He had heard some rather dismaying rumors of the decisions his brother had made which he had rather hoped were more fiction than fact, but perhaps they had not been. If it were true, then he could see how people might seek him out over his brother if Thor truly had been oversimplifying things and favoring warriors or those with more 'honorable' professions as he saw them. Damn his brother for it all and not learning when Father had overturned a series of his decisions in favor of more just outcomes. It did help explain a lot about how Thor behaved about Hliðskjálf, though, and Loki wished he had discovered this sooner so he might have done something about it at the time.

Clearly it had come up at a High Council meeting he had missed.

"Well, I cannot speak for Thor's sessions," Loki began diplomatically. "But I can say mine are still very well attended and those complaints will need addressing."

"Then of course we shall cover it," Uncle Vé promised.

Loki inclined his head at his uncles, hoping he would not come to regret this as they had not fulfilled this particular role in centuries, not since Óðinn had deemed first Thor and then himself old enough to take on those duties.

"Your Majesty, pardon if this is a sensitive topic," Lord Aðalgrímr began. "But about your brother, might we enquire what has happened? As with Óðinn, there are many rumors."

"So I have been informed," Loki replied. "The answer is simple enough. For his actions, which include deliberately disobeying a direct command from his king, dragging a compliment of armed warriors to Jötunheimr and instigating hostilities there after Laufey-King offered him an opportunity to leave, Father relieved Thor of his titles, powers and longevity, and banished him to Miðgarðr."

Dead silence followed his pronouncement and Loki saw only shock and disbelief, with some resignation, as he looked around the table at his six fellow counselors. 'Twas not simply the confirmation of some of the rumors, he knew, but also what it indicated about the situation with Jötunheimr itself. If this was true, then it made the rumors of the war far more likely as well.

"Permanently?" General Týr finally asked. "The banishment, I mean."

"Nay," Loki said. "After he banished Thor, Father enchanted Mjǫllnir and sent it after Thor to Miðgarðr."

"Dare I ask about the enchantment?" Uncle Vé inquired.

"It makes Mjǫllnir immovable to all but those who are worthy."

"So Thor will need to prove himself such in order to regain her and all of his titles, powers and longevity," Lord Ragnvaldr realized.

"Precisely," Loki confirmed. "Obviously we cannot know when that might be. At present he is with the mortals who found him after he fell to Miðgarðr. They believe him to be mentally unstable."

Perhaps Loki received more satisfaction in informing the High Council of that then he should, but how often was it he could be so truthful about his brother's actions and not have them be praised as if the epitome of all that was good and just?

"It seems we will simply have to wait and see when Pri- Thor will return to us," Lord Óðr said.

General Týr had just opened his mouth to add something when a loud cawing sounded through the hall and Loki turned his head in surprise to view Huginn and Muninn sweeping into Glaðsheimr on large black wings. They circled the table once, twice, before settling on the high back of Loki's new chair where they almost always perched while in Glaðsheimr with the High Council.

Loki felt his mouth go dry at the implication of not only their presence, but their decision to perch themselves behind him. 'Twas simply one more indication of the rightfulness of his ascension to Hliðskjálf. Huginn and Muninn were his father's ravens and reported what happened in the Nine Realms directly to Óðinn. For them to be here, now, instead of lingering at his father's bedside was one more powerful sign his regency was just. Not that it would make a difference to Lady Sif and the Warriors Idiot or Heimdallr, but that did not mean Loki was any less grateful for it, or any less aware of the impact it would have on others such as Lord Óðr or General Týr, whom he knew would not tolerate his rule well.

" _King Loki._ "

The sudden, unexpected voice in his head made Loki start visibly before he turned to his right. " _Huginn?_ " he questioned silently.

" _Aye._ "

" _Oh._ "

He had always known Óðinn could speak with Huginn and Muninn directly, but Loki had never experienced it himself before, even though Muninn had used to spend quite a bit of time perched on his shoulder as a child.

" _News of your ascension to Hliðskjálf is spreading throughout the Nine Realms,_ " Huginn stated. " _As are rumors of war with Jötunheimr._ "

Loki winced at that. " _Any news or whispers of rebellion or taking advantage of the situation?_ "

" _Not yet, but you will be watched. Closely._ "

As if he had not expected that, but 'twas good to have the confirmation nonetheless. Especially of the former, though he knew it would only be a matter of time if things remained unstable or Ásgarðr appeared weak.

"Word of what has transpired is spreading," Loki explained when he turned back to the table and found all eyes on him.

"How are the Realms reacting?" General Týr questioned, immediately alert.

"Cautiously. For now."

He did not need to say how quickly it could change. Everyone present here was well aware of the dangers they currently faced.

"Now, Jötunheimr," Loki continued. "I know there are rumors about this as well, so let me be absolutely clear if Father did not have the chance to speak with you. Laufey-King has declared war. Father tried to dissuade him, but he was resolute."

"Is Jötunheimr even in a position to do so?" Lord Óðr inquired. "Or even to get out off of their Realm?"

"Three frost giants managed to gain access to the vault yesterday," General Týr countered. "Clearly they can get off Jötunheimr."

"That was true?"

"Aye."

"Do we know how?" Lord Ragnvaldr asked.

"Nay."

"Aye," Loki said, knowing if he did not explain at least the how, then too much time would be wasted on this. "I found a portal to Jötunheimr in the vault."

"A portal?" Lord Óðr questioned. "What is that?"

"A connection between two Realms on the Yggdrasill," Uncle Vé explained. "There is some debate on whether they can only occur naturally or whether they can be induced deliberately by a powerful enough seiðkona, but once open, anyone who knows of their location can walk through them."

"And there was one leading into the vault?" General Týr checked.

"Hmm," Loki confirmed. "It would have let them bypass all of our outer layers of security and defenses. As clearly happened."

"So we have an open breach point for the frost giants to use?"

"Nay, I have closed the portal."

"You can do that?" Uncle Vé questioned turning large eyes to him.

Loki had always known his uncle had an interest in seiðr and he had long suspected his father's youngest sibling had secretly studied it enough to be a weak practitioner in his own right, but it had never been openly confirmed. It had eventually led to a certain amount of friction between them as Loki had viewed it as cowardly on Uncle Vé's part, and he had resented not having another adult to support him and his interest given how many others disapproved of it and sought only to discourage or ignore him for it. He had also always wondered if his uncle had resented the strength of his seiðr or his determination to follow through on his studies despite the public pressure against it.

"Of course, closing a small portal, especially such a new one, is easy as they are abnormalities in the fabric of the Realms," Loki explained, downplaying it more than a little as he knew no one had the knowledge, much less the experience, to contradict him. "The Yggdrasill seeks to close itself off from such easy intrusion."

"Could you tell if 'twas a natural one or created as Prince Vé suggested?" Lord Aðalgrímr inquired.

"Nay. I do not know if 'tis even possible to tell, much less how go about doing so. All of the portals I have encountered have felt the same."

"There are more?" General Týr demanded in dismay.

"A number to various Realms," Loki confirmed. "None within Iðavöllr's defenses, though, or close enough for Heimdallr not to be able to warn us of approach through one of them."

"Can you not simply close them all? Your Majesty?"

"Nay, most are far too large or old for me to do so. They seem to become more established with time."

"So this one the jötnar used was definitely new then," Uncle Vili stated.

"Oh, aye," Loki confirmed, pausing before deciding to give them a little more. "I can detect open portals quite easily and 'twas not there the last time I was in the vault before the coronation."

"And the odds of one simply opening there now is highly unlikely," Lord Ragnvaldr added. "This was a deliberate attack then."

"That is not how Laufey-King will play this," Loki warned. "He gave Thor the opportunity to walk away when we confronted him in his outdoor court. He went so far as to say Thor did not understand the price of war, but he did."

"Mere words," General Týr dismissed.

"Words which will have power," Lord Aðalgrímr countered. "We have no proof the attack on the vault was anything but the actions of an independent faction."

"That is what Father suspected as well," Loki told them. "He was willing to leave the issue there, stating that those who had attacked were dead."

"Do we know how many jötnar dead there were in the... incident on Jötunheimr?"

"Not for certain," Loki replied, noting well how they danced around his involvement in the attack. 'Twas currently to their advantage he had been present, but Loki wished he knew what they thought of it. Did they view him as just as guilty of it all as Thor, or was it seen as him supporting his brother and crown prince as was expected of a younger brother and second prince? "However, I would estimate up to three hundred."

"Three hundred?" Uncle Vili repeated in astonishment.

Loki shrugged. "There were many jötnar and Thor used Mjǫllnir to smash the ice. Many did not get away in time and went down with it."

"That is not good for us," Lord Ragnvaldr stated heavily.

"What does it matter? If Laufey wants a war, we can give him a war," General Týr argued. "They do not stand a chance against our forces."

Loki bit back his initial response to the general's fiery words. He could easily recall his father's own words from after one meeting centuries ago. Óðinn had stated that Týr was a phenomenal general, but as with many such men, oft did not understand the value of diplomacy and that war was to be used as a last resort by good kings. 'Twas a lesson Thor had yet to learn, clearly, and he shuddered to think of what his brother and Týr could have gotten Ásgarðr into if left unchecked together.

"What are our forces at present, General?" Loki asked. "If things do escalate past diplomatic solutions, where do we stand? We have not been at war for over a millennium."

"We have a standing army of eight legions, and I could increase that two to three fold if we call in all of those who have been warrior trained," General Týr began. "The problem would be arming and armoring all of them. We have neglected those areas with funding the last few centuries and would require more than simply what our own blacksmiths could produce at short notice."

The familiar resentment at how funding had been allocated underlay those words but Loki chose to ignore it, turning his attention instead of Lord Aðalgrímr.

"We may need to send a delegation to Niðavellir then, at short notice, to put in a request for that which we cannot make," Loki said. "Would they supply?"

"Gladly," Lord Aðalgrímr answered immediately. "But if word has spread there already, we will have to pay heftily for it."

Of course they would. The dökkálfar were nothing if not profit oriented, as Loki knew well from personal experience.

"Very well, if it comes to it, I want you to select someone to lead the negotiations with them," Loki ordered. "General Týr, please calculate what we would require at the bare minimum and what would be more ideal, so we have the information at hand if we do decide to go down that route."

"But you do not intend to in the first instance," General Týr replied.

"Nay, an all-out war is not my first preference."

"We may not have a choice, my King."

"We may not, but we do have a lot of leverage, diplomatically."

"You mean the Casket of Ancient Winters."

Loki could tell from the general's tone of voice alone what Týr thought of the idea and his very willingness to consider it, but he ignored it. He did not have time to get involved in petty disputes or powerplays right now. Besides, he had watched Óðinn and Týr rip at each other plenty over his centuries at this very table, so 'twas not exactly disrespect directed solely at him.

"Among many other things," Loki said calmly. "Our initial treaty with Laufey-King provided nothing of trade or anything else."

"We defeated them in a war!"

"As we did Vanaheimr, yet our treaty with them was not nearly so spartan."

"Do we have the treaties to view?" Lord Óðr asked.

Loki pulled them out of the parchments he had brought and passed them along.

"Despite all we could offer them, Laufey-King will almost certainly push for just the Casket," Lord Ragnvaldr warned, and paused before continuing. "And he may be right to do so."

"Nay, absolutely not!" General Týr thundered as he rose to his feet. "We cannot give them back their greatest weapon _and_ the ability to leave Jötunheimr at will. That is all but inviting them to attack either ourselves or another Realm. We simply cannot allow that!"

"The Casket is more than a weapon and means of transport," Lord Ragnvaldr responded calmly, clearly used to General Týr's more fiery temper.

"Hmm," Loki agreed. "'Tis the heart of Jötunheimr."

The look of surprise he received from both of his uncles and Lord Ragnvaldr told Loki what he had learned in the past few hours clearly was not common knowledge. It made him feel a little better at not having known about it before. It had been for precisely this type of information he had always wanted access to the king's library to begin with.

The king's library...

It was with a start Loki remembered the book on jötunn seiðr he had taken and hidden away in his own pocket dimension. He had done so in order not to lose access to it when Óðinn awoke as he still felt it should be his by rights, given his heritage. But, because he had squirreled it away, it had not been on the desk when he had been doing his research and somehow he had forgotten all about it, probably because he had needed to force it from his mind in favor of doing the task required of him instead. 'Twas a sign of how overtired he was. Oh well, there was little he could do about it now, he would simply have to look at it later.

'Twas not like it would be a hardship to do so.

"You know of that," Uncle Vili almost whispered.

Loki frowned as he looked from his uncle to the others at the table. Other than his uncles and Lord Ragnvaldr, the rest seemed to be confused. So, Óðinn had not shared this particular bit of information with the entirety of his High Council. Interesting. It added some substance to his earlier suspicions Óðinn had not been aware of the Casket of Ancient Winter's importance to Jötunheimr until after he had already taken it.

For now, Loki merely scowled at his uncle. "I always do my research if at all possible, Uncle, you should already know this."

"Aye, but... do not tell me you were up all night."

"We are officially at war, I think now is the time for anything which gathers critical information."

"What am I missing here?" Lord Óðr questioned with a deep, displeased frown.

"The Casket of Ancient Winters is far more than a mere weapon or means of interplanetary transport," Lord Ragnvaldr began.

"Aye, you said," General Týr scowled as he sat back down. "What else is it?"

"As King Loki said, 'tis called the heart of Jötunheimr and it turns out this is far more than a mere fancy title. A lot more."

"How?" Lord Aðalgrímr demanded.

"From what we have been able to determine, 'tis intrinsically linked to Jötunheimr's magical core and, without it, that magical core is either breaking down or becoming so unregulated as to essentially be breaking," Uncle Vé explained. "Which means that, should the Casket be away from Jötunheimr for long enough, the whole Realm will become so out of balance it will be completely unable to support life and it may eventually die entirely."

That was not quite what Loki had taken from the tomes, but 'twas close enough for their current purpose.

"So?" General Týr demanded with a shrug. "The frost giants die, who cares? Problem solved as far as I can tell."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there's the High Council, those with whom Loki will have to work to rule Ásgarðr. Yes, I know they're all men, but I really didn't think there'd be any women involved at such a high level from the first two movies. But don't worry, we'll see very highly placed women elsewhere soon.
> 
> The rest of the meeting, with a few extras, will be up next week. Then it's onto petitions in Valaskjálf the week after, and we all know who turned up to see Óðinn/Loki there in the movie!
> 
> * * *
> 
> **Norse Mythology :**
> 
> _Vili_ \- Son of Borr & Bestla, middle brother of Óðinn and Vé.  
>  _Vé_ \- Son of Borr & Bestla, youngest brother to Óðinn and Vili.  
>  _Týr_ \- God of War, and sometimes Justice. He is described as either the son of Óðinn or Hymir (a jötunn), who had his hand bitten off by Fenrir Lokason. - I have kept the lost hand & God of War elements but ditched the rest. You'll have to wait and see how he lost the hand, though!  
>  _Óðr_ \- "Divine Madness, frantic, furious, vehement, eager" & "the frenzied one" - Husband to Freyja and father of Hnoss & Gersemi, potentially a hypostasis for Óðinn (Freyja & Frigg are often thought to be one) - I'm only taking some of this, but what would be telling :)  
>  _Huginn and Muninn_ \- "thought" & "memory/mind" - a pair of ravens that fly all over the world & bring information to Óðinn.  
>  _Hliðskjálf_ \- the high seat of Óðinn allowing him to see into all realms - i.e. Óðinn's throne  
>  _Glaðsheimr_ \- a meeting hall containing 13 high seats where the male æsir hold council, located in Iðavöllr in Ásgarðr - mine won't have 13 seats (too many characters!), but the rest remains largely the same.  
>  _Iðavöllr_ \- a meeting place of the gods - my name for the palace.
> 
> * * *
> 
> **Original Characters' Names :**
> 
> _Aðalgrímr_ \- made up of Aðal ('nobel') and Grímr ('person wearing a face mask') - would it surprise you to know he's Ásgarðr's top diplomat? :)
> 
> * * *
> 
> **Old Norse :**
> 
> _seiðr_ \- witchcraft, sorcery / a type of sorcery practiced in Norse society during the Late Scandinavian Iron Age - i.e. magic  
>  _seiðmadr_ \- a combination of seiðr (“witchcraft”) + maðr (“man”) - i.e. wizard/sorcerer/mage  
>  _seiðkona_ \- a combination of seiðr (“witchcraft”) + kona (“woman”) - i.e. witch/sorceress/mage  
>  _argr_ \- Old Norse term of insult, "unmanly, effeminate, cowardly".  
>  _jötnar_ \- "frost giants" - jötunn is the singular  
>  _dökkálfar_ \- "dark elves" who dwell within the earth and are most swarthy - when looking up dwarves I couldn't find an Old Norse word, but some sources said the dwarves were sometimes called dark elves, so I took that word for them there are several names for elves (døkkálfar, ljósálfar, svartálfar, myrkálfar) - remember, my dwarves will _not_ match what we saw in _Avengers: Infinity War_!
> 
> * * *
> 
> For anyone interested, I've now finished my other _Thor_ fic, _Fensalir_ , so it'll be up as soon as I'm done editing it! Gotta do that on my own as my beta is still working her way through this epic here!


End file.
